Mirid bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) are important pests of Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) trees in Indonesia. Young Eucalyptus plantations are mainly affected by Helopeltis spp. Damage by Helopeltis resulted in die-back of young shoots, curling, deformation and drying usually, irrespective of the clones. In North Sumatra, damage in Eucalyptus is associated to Helopeltis bradyi Waterhouse despite the presence of H. theivora Waterhouse in the region. Important alternate host plants recorded as reservoirs of H. bradyi in vicinity to Eucalyptus plantations were Persea sp. (Lauraceae), Coffea sp. (Rubiaceae), Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae), Ludwigia sp. (Onagraceae), Clidemia hirta (Melastomataceae) and Theobroma cacao (Malvaceae). Leiophron sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was reported as an important parasitoid with parasitism of 41.86% on the H. bradyi nymphs and 17.07% on adults. Helopeltis theivora was recorded as the only species affecting Eucalyptus plantations in Riau Province, so far no other Helopeltis sp. has been identified in Riau. Ragwelellus festivus Miller and Ragwelellus sp. were reported for the first time damaging Eucalyptus trees in North Sumatra, Riau Province and East Kalimantan regions of Indonesia. Arthriticus eugeniae Bergroth was also reported for the first time damaging matured Eucalyptus trees along with Ragwelellus in North Sumatra and Riau Provinces.

Antilochus coquebertii is one of the most important predators of Dysdercus koenigii. The present study examines for the first time the fitness (using age-stage and two-sex life table parameters), morphometrics and predating potential of A. coquebertii fed on the second instar of D. koenigii under laboratory conditions. Results indicate that female adults of A. coquebertii consumed significantly higher numbers of second instar D. koenigii (229.81 ± 14.36) when compared to male adults (118.47 ± 10.77). The body length (16.10±0.40 mm) and width (6.60 ± 0.20 mm) of female adults of A. coquebertii were significantly higher if compared to body length (14.40 ± 0.40 mm) and width (5.80 ± 0.40 mm) of male adults. The developmental period of A. coquebertii from egg to female adult (76.09 ± 3.51 days) was significantly longer than egg to male adult (64.00 ± 1.87 days). The fecundity (number of eggs/female) of A. coquebertii was 108.67 ± 3.67 per female. The intrinsic rate of increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) per day of A. coquebertii were recorded with values of 5.87 and 1.06 days, respectively. The gross reproductive rate (GRR) and net reproductive rate (R0) of A. coquebertii were 23.17 offspring and 18.56 offspring/individual, respectively. The information obtained in this study will be useful for the development of future research projects focused on this predator against D. koenigii under natural conditions. Based on our results, we suggest that A. coquebertii will be a good biological control agent against the second instar of D. koenigii in cotton fields.

In the coastal mid-Atlantic region of the USA, landscapes are a mosaic of upland habitats (woodland, grassland, old fields and farmland) and low-lying coastal salt marsh. Flooding and salinization of coastal areas due to sea-level rise result in the conversion of upland habitats to salt marsh, and change the relative proportion of habitat types surrounding coastal farmland. This has the potential to influence population sizes of organisms living in this area and could alter the ecosystem services, such as pollination, that these habitats provide. To examine the potential outcome of these habitat conversions, we used blue vane traps at 14 sites along the Eastern Shore of Virginia (USA) to compare the bee communities of salt marsh, old fields and agricultural fields. Although there was no difference among habitat types for total bee abundance per site, we found that the coastal marsh is depauperate in bee species relative to old fields and agricultural fields, and that the bee species using the marsh habitat tend to be specialists of plant families that are common in the marsh (Asteraceae and Malvaceae) but are relatively uncommon in local agriculture. Thus, the transition of upland areas to marsh not only has the potential to impact agricultural productivity directly through salt water intrusion, ultimately it may also reduce the species richness of native bees available to provide pollination services to coastal agriculture.

The peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata S. is a species that can cause important economic losses to various fruit species, with more than 50 host plants. In this study, repellent and oviposition deterrent effects of methanol (Mx), ethanol (Ex) and distilled water (Dx) extracts of moringa bark and leaves, cinnamon, peppermint and ginger were evaluated at different concentrations (10, 20 and 30%) against B. zonata adults. The experiment was carried out by using free choice test. Among all extracts, peppermint (Pm) extracts (Pm-Mx, Pm-Ex and Pm-Dx) delivered important repellent activity at the maximum dosage (30%), i.e. 0.50, 0.75 and 0.50 mean number of adults, respectively; while, the minimum repellent activity was observed in moringa bark of all three extracts. Correspondingly, all extracts have oviposition deterrent effect but Peppermint (Pm) extracts (Pm-Mx, Pm-Ex and Pm-Dx), deliver the best effect. The present investigation revealed that bio-active extracts can be used as alternative cost-effective, safe, and environment-friendly insecticides for the effective management of B. zonata in order to reduce the ecological hazards caused by traditional chemical pesticides.

Under natural environmental conditions, insects are highly subjected to thermal stress. Data concerning the effects of high temperature on the survival of Dysdercus koenigii (F.) are scarce. In the present work, the survival rate of all immature stages and adults of D. koenigii exposed to very high temperatures were studied. All stages were exposed to four high temperatures (40, 42.5, 45 and 47.5 °C) for time periods ranging from 1 to 420 minutes, depending on the temperature treatment. Insects were then returned to normal temperature conditions. The survival rate of all stages decreased with the increase in the time of exposure at all temperatures examined. The lethal time needed to cause mortality in 50% and 90% of all stages decreased rapidly with the increase in the temperature from 40 to 47.5 °C. Based on these results, we concluded that the survival rates of all stages of D. koenigii were significantly affected when they were exposed to high temperature stress.

Blister beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae) have a long history in human culture, are detrimental to human health, and considered an agricultural pest. However, little is known about the ecology of many of these beetle species in natural systems. The black blister beetle, Epicauta pensylvanica (Degeer), is a common fall species that regularly feeds on goldenrod (Solidago spp.) flowers. Previous ecological research used mass releases to explore movement patterns and habitat use. For a more natural investigation, a marking study was conducted to quantify the population size, movement patterns, and habitat use in a restored tallgrass prairie and adjacent degraded grassland. We uniquely marked a total of 914 individuals, recapturing 22.2% over 16 surveys (16 August to 11 October 2018). A maximum daily count of 286 individuals was recorded on 11 September, corresponding to a population size estimate of 2,011 (1,258– 4,139 95% CI). Several times, adult numbers increased one to two days following rain events, and ultimately dropped substantially following mowing of the degraded grassland. Beetles were capable of moving throughout the study site based on one individual traveling at least 599 m over the course of the study. However, most detected movements were short and there was no preference in movement directionality, suggesting that beetles would most often move to adjacent flowering goldenrod patches. Despite the lack of directionality, the restored tallgrass prairie portion of the study site retained significantly more beetles than the degraded grassland. While further describing the ecology of the black blister beetle, this study also supports the effectiveness of the habitat restoration efforts.

In 2017, we found 17 dead females of Megachile frigida Smith in clear plastic bags of composted bark mulch in a residential yard in Bozeman, Montana, USA. Females apparently entered bags via small ventilation holes, then became trapped and died. To investigate whether this is a common source of mortality, we deployed unmodified bags of mulch and those fitted with cardboard tubes (as potential nest sites) at three nearby sites in 2018. We found two dead M. frigida females and five completed leaf cells in one of these bags of mulch fitted with cardboard tubes; two male M. frigida emerged from these leaf cells. In 2018, we also discovered three dead female M. frigida and three dead females of a second leafcutter bee species, Megachile gemula Cresson, in clear bags of another type of bark mulch. Both mulches emitted nearly identical blends of volatile organic compounds, suggesting their odors could attract females searching for nesting sites. These findings suggest that more research is needed to determine how common and widespread this is for Megachile species that nest in rotting wood and if there are simple solutions to this problem.

A species of large carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica virginica (Linnaeus, 1771), is reported from Montana and Idaho, USA for the first time. This new Montana distribution record adds to a growing list of bee species found in the state and contributes to an ongoing inventory of the bees of Montana. The Montana collection likely does not represent an established population but a transient accidental introduction resulting from human transportation since Montana is considerably geographically separated from the published distribution of this species and no additional adults have been found. The Idaho collections may represent an established local population as there are several specimens and online records in or near Boise on multiple dates and years. An online record of a specimen of X. californica arizonensis Cresson, 1879 from Montana proved to be erroneous. The distribution of X. virginica is reviewed and the economic, social, and ecological implications of the occurrence or establishment of this species in Montana and Idaho are discussed.