Abstract The rice stink bug Niphe elongata (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a serious pest of rice in central and western Japan, causing grain sterility and grain surface discoloration. Effective management of this pest requires knowledge of its overwintering habitats and the seasonal movements of overwintering adults. We surveyed potential habitats of the overwintering population of N. elongata on several plant species in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, in February. Adults were found in high densities on clumps of mondo grass ( Ophiopogon japonicus ; Asparagales: Asparagaceae). Over the following 2 years, we monitored the seasonal occurrence of adults on mondo grass and in rice fields. Adults were present on mondo grass from September to early July, with peak densities in early autumn and late spring. These findings indicate that mondo grass is a habitat for N. elongata during the overwintering period, mainly in autumn and late spring. Mondo grass is a promising monitoring site for overwintering populations to predict subsequent infestations in rice fields. In early autumn, adults appeared in late-season rice fields and their density on mondo grass increased, suggesting that they migrated to mondo grass for overwintering. In early summer, light trap catches suggested that overwintering adults dispersed from these sites then.

Abstract Most insects can fly. The acquisition of flight is a factor that allows insects to prosper on Earth. On the other hand, in the same species and population, individual differences in flight ability may occur. Flight ability can vary due to geographical conditions and cumulative rearing. Investigating these changes in flight performance is important for understanding dispersal polymorphism and the evolution of flight performance. Thus, in the present study, the flight behaviors between cumulative rearing and field strains and changes in flight behaviors between strains of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), which is distributed around the world were compared . Tribolium castaneum is a worldwide pest of stored grains. Its body length is about 3–4 mm. Previous studies have investigated the influence of environmental and physiological factors on the flight of this species, but no studies have examined individual differences or polymorphism in flight behaviors within this species. In this study, we developed a simple apparatus that can quantify the flight behavior of this species. The experimental apparatus was set up as a double structure with two different size containers. This apparatus was able to assess the flight activity of insects by counting individuals in a big container because insects transfer to the big container only by flight. Moreover, upward flight ability was possible to be assessed by the apparatus adding the barrier. Then, the flight behavior was compared between strains of this species that have been bred in the laboratory for more than 45 years and several strains of this species collected in the field. The results showed no variation in flight activity between strains, but flying ability was higher in strains originating from warmer regions. Here, we discussed the variations in flight behavior of T. castaneum .