Zebra chip, a new and economically important disease of potato, Solanum tuberosum L., in the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and New Zealand has caused millions of dollars in loss to the potato industry. The disease is associated with the bacterium “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” transmitted to potato by the potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc). Since its initial U.S. appearance in southern Texas in 2000, zebra chip has caused serious damage to potato production in the state, often leading to abandonment of entire fields. A study at Weslaco assessed the impact of potato planting time on incidence of zebra chip in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Non-treated experimental potato plots were planted in mid-December to midFebruary for 4 years, and incidence of zebra chip was estimated at harvest each potato-growing season. Results showed that, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, potatoes planted early were more affected by zebra chip than were those planted later, with infection rate ranging from 23.2 to 72.7, 20 to 44.6, and 5.4 to 31.2% in potato plots planted in December, January, and February, respectively. The reasons behind this differential in disease incidence are unknown; however, rate of infection by “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” of psyllids colonizing potatoes in the region is suspected. Information from this research will help growers in southern Texas whose potatoes are affected by zebra chip to minimize losses caused by this damaging disease by timely planting of potatoes and appropriately protecting fields from colonization by the potato psyllid.

Zebra chip disease has become a serious problem in North America. Data from growers in Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas enabled us to document insecticide use and costs to control zebra chip in 53 commercial fields of potato, Solanum tuberosum L. The number of different insecticides used in Texas decreased from 16 in 2009 to 10 in 2011. The most commonly used insecticides in all three states were Admire (imidacloprid) and Movento (spirotetramat). Growers in Texas spent an average of $740 per hectare annually during 2009–2011, while those in Kansas and Nebraska spent $700 per hectare. Costs varied among fields in the same locations. Issues raised by this study included: insecticide use progression, control of other insects, yield loss, quality loss, strategies to manage zebra chip, and the impact of zebra chip on the competitive positions of potatogrowing areas.

Insecticidal control of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), is targeted at the adult and nymphal stages, but there is little information on relative susceptibilities of these insects to insecticides. Tarnished plant bug adults were collected from various locations in Mississippi during 2008–2009, and different life stages of their progeny were tested for susceptibilities to three classes of insecticides. A glass vial bioassay was used to evaluate four populations of tarnished plant bugs for susceptibility to the pyrethroid insecticide, permethrin, and two populations to the organophosphate insecticide, methamidophos. Additionally, a diet-incorporated bioassay was used to evaluate the susceptibility of the various life stages of a single population of tarnished plant bugs to a neonicotinoid insecticide, thiamethoxam. For all but one population and insecticide combination, the estimated LC₅₀ values ranked from least to greatest were: 1^st instars, 2^nd instars, 3^rd instars, adults, 4^th instars, and 5^th instars. The tolerances of 5^th versus 1^st instars were greater for populations of tarnished plant bugs exposed to permethrin compared to methamidophos or thiamethoxam. The results of this study indicated that the effectiveness of an insecticide application for the control of tarnished plant bugs depends on the age-structure of the population being treated.

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an important pest of several crops in the western hemisphere. This lepidopteran pest has diverged into two host strains that are partially adapted to maize, Zea mays L., and rice, Oryza sativa L. Both strains are identical morphologically but genetically differentiated by molecular markers. Hosts used by the maize strain include maize, cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., and sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, and by the rice strain, rice fields and pasture grass. In the U. S., the corn (maize) strain is less susceptible than the rice strain to the insecticides carbaryl, diazinon, Cypermethrin, methyl parathion, and methomyl, whereas in Colombia the rice strain is more tolerant to the insecticides lambdacyhalothrin and methomyl. Larvae from maize and rice fields from Tolimaa (central Colombia) were genotyped and evaluated for susceptibility to Cry1Ac and Cry1Ab endotoxins of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner to test whether both populations differed in susceptibility to the two endotoxins. Previous studies obtained from the U. S. have demonstrated that the rice strain was more susceptible to Cry1Ac. After four generations, our results showed the rice strain was more susceptible than the maize strain to both endotoxins. Moreover, in both strains susceptibility to Cry1Ab was stronger than for Cry1Ac. The realized heritability of susceptibility was greater for the rice strain than for the maize strain. The number of generations needed for 10-fold increase in tolerance ranged from 15 to 20 for Cry1Ac and from 47 to 560 generations for Cry1Ab. The genetic basis of susceptibility to both endotoxins has shown that the inheritance of this trait is not additive.

Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), plants expressing insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) constitute the majority of cotton acreage planted across the southern region of the United States. Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), can be a significant cotton pest in some years, but this species has not been a primary target of Bt cotton technologies. The objective of this study was to characterize fall armyworm oviposition sites on cotton plants expressing Bt proteins. Fall armyworm adults were released into isolation cages containing cotton plants expressing either single (Bollgard®, Cry1Ac) or pyramided proteins (Bollgard II®, Cry1Ac:Cry2Ab; WideStrike™, Cry1Ac:Cry1F) or a conventional non-Bt cotton line. Following an oviposition period of two-three days, cotton plants were destructively sampled to locate egg masses. The distribution of egg masses on Bt cotton plants was not significantly different from that on non-Bt plants. Most egg masses were recorded on leaves, predominately on the abaxial surface, regardless of cotton line. Significantly more egg masses (>68%) were deposited on leaves near or emerging directly from the main stem (sympodial branch nodes 0–2) than on leaves emerging from branch nodes farther from the main stem. Fall armyworm oviposition was not influenced by Bt proteins and sampling protocols for eggs and early instars should be similar in fields of Bt and non-Bt cotton plants.

The method described in this paper uses wheat, Triticum aestivum L., grown in a greenhouse as the rearing medium for thrips forced to move to cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., seedlings after the wheat was killed with herbicide. As measured by numbers of thrips and reduction of leaf surface area, the method produced abundant thrips pressure and was useful for initial evaluation of cotton for resistance. The method was used to evaluate cotton seedlings for six years and had a 0% failure rate. Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande, followed by onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, were dominant during the study. Numbers of thrips of other species were scarce.

Mating disruption of pecan nut casebearer, Acrobasis nuxvorella Neuzig, was evaluated using the single component sex pheromone, (9E,11Z)-hexadecadienal in four field experiments in commercial orchards of pecan, Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch. The sex pheromone was formulated as either: 1) Microbead: a 5% microencapsulated sprayable or 2) Paintball: a latex sphere containing the sex pheromone formulation and designed for application with a paintball gun. Evidence of mating disruption was measured by comparing the number of pecan nut casebearer moths captured in sex pheromone-baited traps; numbers of viable, non-viable, and eclosed eggs; and nut damage by larvae in the sex pheromone treatment relative to the numbers in the nontreated check. In all four experiments, the sex pheromone treatment significantly reduced by 89.6% or more the number of captured pecan nut casebearer moths relative to the nontreated check. However, in three experiments, there was no significant reduction in the mean numbers of viable, non-viable, and eclosed eggs, or nut damage in the sex pheromone treatment compared to the nontreated check. In another experiment, the mean numbers of viable and eclosed eggs, percentage of infested nut clusters, and nuts damaged by pecan nut casebearer larvae were significantly less in the sex pheromone treatment than in the nontreated check. Based on the results of this experiment, application of sex pheromone before capture of the first pecan nut casebearer moth and two or three applications of sex pheromone at a rate of 6–10 g per hectare per application were necessary to disrupt mating. These experiments are the first to demonstrate the reduction of pecan nut damage resulting from the use of pecan nut casebearer sex pheromone to disrupt mating. However, the lack of control observed in three of the four experiments suggests further studies are needed to better understand and enhance the efficacy of pecan nut casebearer mating disruption.

Pyric-herbivory, defined as fire-driven grazing, was applied as patch-burn grazing management and compared to traditional management (grazing without fire) for the potential to mitigate horn flies, Haematobia irritans (L.), on cattle in Iowa and Oklahoma. Stocking rate was conservative at both locations, and all cattle were black angus, Bos taurus (L.). Study design was two treatments replicated three times for a total of six pastures at each location. Average pasture sizes were 27 ha in Iowa and 55 ha in Oklahoma. The primary objective was to assess response of the Eurasian origin horn fly to fire and grazing disturbances. Numbers of horn flies were assessed at both locations and analyzed for location, treatment, and interaction (location × treatment). Numbers of horn flies differed only between treatments. Patch-burn grazing management resulted in 41% reduction of horn flies, less than in the traditional management system regardless of location (P < 0.0001). Cattle in pastures managed with patch-burn grazing were near the universally accepted economic threshold for treatment (200 flies per cow) compared to double the economic threshold on cattle under traditional management. Cattle in pastures managed with patch-burn grazing were below the behavioral threshold of 300 flies per cow and were expected to have increased grazing time associated with a reduction in stress annoyance behaviors. These results demonstrated that grazing management that includes fire can reduce horn flies on cattle in rangeland systems.

Annual pitfall trapping during a 10-year period indicated that outbreaks of false chinch bugs, Nysius raphanus Howard, occurred in 2005, 2009, and 2010 in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California. During these outbreaks, feeding by false chinch bugs appeared to cause widespread damage to rangeland shrubs. In 2009, a study was initiated to compare survival between shrubs infested by false chinch bugs and shrubs not infested. Fifty-one spiny saltbush, Atriplex spinifera J.F. Macbr. shrubs (<0.5 m in height) were selected, of which 26 had been infested and 25 had not been infested by false chinch bugs. Fifteen months later, survival of the false chinch bug-infested shrubs (22%) was significantly less (P < 0.001) than non-infested shrubs (96%). Results indicated that false chinch bugs (during outbreak years) can significantly depress survival of young saltbush shrubs.

To trap the agave weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus Gyllenhal, tissue of Agave tequilana F.A.C. Weber var. ‘azul’ and the synthetic pheromone 2-methyl-4-octanone were used. This study evaluated the efficacy of the fermented “pineapple” or “head” of A. tequilana. We also identified volatile compounds attractive to the agave weevil. In the field, between August 2009 and December 2011, we evaluated the following treatments: 1) pheromone, 2) pheromone fermented agave head, 3) pheromone non-fermented agave head, 4) fermented agave head, 5) non-fermented agave head, and control (water insecticide). The volatiles were sampled using the technique of solid-phase microextraction and identified with a gas Chromatograph coupled to a mass selective detector. The traps baited with the pheromone and fermented agave head caught more weevils than did the other treatments. The fermented agave head increased the attraction of S. acupunctatus, while the non-fermented agave head did not contribute significantly. The following volatiles were identified in the fermented agave head: ethyl acetate, ethanol, 2-butanol, and acetic acid. In the non-fermented agave head, 24 volatile compounds were collected, and they were different than those identified in the fermented head. The results obtained indicated that the fermented material was a viable alternative to optimize trapping of S. acupunctatus, because the liberated volatile chemical compounds of the attractant captured a greater number of weevils in the field.

Insects that affect the quality of seeds in three seed stands of Pinus engelmannii Carr in the state of Durango, Mexico, were identified and quantified. Ten trees at each of the three sites were randomly selected, and the seeds were collected from each of 10 fully developed cones. From the total seeds harvested, 400 were randomly selected and subjected to X-ray analysis to quantify whether seeds were filled, empty, or damaged by insects. The main factors that affected seed quality were poor pollination and pest attack, especially by Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann. Most seeds were damaged by pests at El Encinal (42.8%) and fewest at Las Cumbres (19.4%). Damage caused by the insect Cydia latisigna Miller occurred more frequently at El Encinal (5.0%) and less frequently at Las Cumbres (2.2%). Megastigmus albifrons Walker was found most frequently at La Florida (1.1%); at Las Cumbres, no damage was caused by this insect. The greatest damage caused by Leptoglossus was observed at El Encinal (1.3%), and minor damage occurred at Las Cumbres and La Florida (0.5). Most damaged seeds were at El Encinal (61.7%), while least were at Las Cumbres (22.8%). These results showed the seed bug (L. occidentalis) is the agent that causes major damage as seeds develop.

Prodecatoma cooki (Howard) is reported for the first time as a seed borer in Vitaceae in Mexico. The insect was collected on different Vitaceae species between 2009 and 2012 in 10 regions of West-Central and Southeast Mexico to know their hosts and basic aspects of the biology of this species. The borer was recorded only in Jiquilpan, Sahuayo, and Tingüindin of Michoacan State, and Puerto Vallarta, in Jalisco. Vitis vinifera L., Partenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch, Vitis sp., and Cissus tiliacea H.B.K. were recorded as host plants for this species. This is the first record of this phytophagous insect on C. tiliacea. P. cooki was recorded all year in Jiquilpan, and presumably P. quinquefolia is the most important host for this insect in the region; it seems the different fruiting dates of the other hosts play an important role in insect permanence during the year. Although the insect has not been reported in vine-growing areas of Mexico, it is important to consider P. cooki as a potential pest.

Specimens of Coreura albicosta (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Ctenuchina) deposited in national collections and reported in literature published from 1916 to 2010 were studied. The gathered information suggested that the species is endemic to Mexico, because it has been found only in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Veracruz in the Eastern Sierra Madre. The species lives in cloud forest ecosystems. Based on our findings, we propose that this Coreura species should be included in the Official Mexican Norm 059 (Norma Oficial Mexicana 059), which encompasses the environmental protection of wild flora and fauna species native to Mexico and their risk categories, as well as specifications for their inclusion or exclusion, and a list of all species at risk.

A new species of Docosia Winnertz fungus gnat was discovered in western Michigan. One male and four females appeared in a Malaise trap in mostly deciduous woods in spring. Docosia fimbria Taber with its orange and black coloration resembled Docosia dichroa Loew and the newly discovered Docosia walpurga Taber, but male and female terminalia and wing venation indicated specific differences. Females of all three species were associated by comparative anatomy with males, and seasonal phenology was determined.

We evaluated the efficacy of the biorational insecticides azadirachtin and spinetoram, as well as the neonicotinoid thiametoxam, the organophosphates chlorpyrifos and malathion, and the pyrethroid λ-cyhalothrin against the pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii Cano, in a field of jalapeño pepper, Capsicum annuum L., in South-Central Chihuahua. Thiametoxam and chlorpyrifos had an impact on the reduction of this pest as many as five days after application. Also, we evaluated the insecticide rotation effect of Treatment 1 (spinetoram → chlorpyrifos → chlorpyrifos → thiametoxam) and Treatment 2 (thiametoxam → chlorpyrifos → chlorpyrifos → thiametoxam) where both treatments suppressed populations of this insect. Treatment 1 had the fewest fallen fruits.

Tamarind, Tamarindus indica L., is an economically important crop in the dry tropical region of Western Mexico. For more than a decade, damage caused by an insect borer in seeds has been observed. Since 2006, taxonomical identification, biology, hosts, and integrated management of the insect have been studied. In this review, current knowledge of the tamarind seed borer is presented. The beetle is 4 to 6 mm long, with a brown-colored body with pubescence, large hind legs, and large serrated antennae. Its elytra do not cover the last abdominal segments. The larvae are 7 to 8 mm long, pinkish-white in color, and slightly mobile. In the Western region of Mexico, tamarind is the main host. The insect oviposits on different legumes; however, only on tamarind (followed by peanut and chickpea) can it complete its life cycle. According to these characteristics, the insect was identified as Caryedon serratus Oliver and affects tamarind pods at pre-and postharvest. Its control should be oriented to damage reduction in the field and storage. The use of insecticides (deltamethrin and paraffinic oil) before harvest is suggested. Also, all the fruits on the tree must be cut during harvest, because this insect is able to complete its life cycle in them. The fumigation of the pods with aluminum phosphide can reduce damage during storage.

In recent years a species of the genus Narnia (Hemiptera: Coreidae) has become a problem as a pest of prickly pear cactus or ‘nopalitos,’ Opuntia ficusindica, in Milpa Alta, in the south of Mexico City, which is the most important production region of this vegetable in the country. A survey of Narnia in Milpa Alta during the years 2010 and 2011 has resulted in the first report, to our knowledge, of Narnia femorata Stål. This insect should be monitored and considered in future studies to identify the family Coreidae that can cause damage on O. ficus-indica.