Insect Control Measures Research Articles

A preliminary recording of insects on the island of Farwa Northwest of Libya

The study aimed to present the first record of insect families in Farwa Island. Farwa Island is the largest and most important island in Libya; located in Northern west part of Libya in the Mediterranean, its insect fauna is poorly studied. Short time intensive collection of insect samples was conducted in four areas (mouth of the valley, bay of containers, center of the Island, and Ras-Attalgha) in February, March and April 2021. Different methods were used for insect collection, sorting, preservation and later identification to the lowest taxonomic level and verification. 9 orders, 31 families, 40 genera and 58 insect species were collected in the study; the center of the Island had the highest numerical density and diversity of insect fauna due to its diverse vegetation compared to other areas. Diverse suitable habitats and absent insect control measures provided suitable environmental conditions for insects breeding, feeding and hiding from enemies. This study constitutes the first comprehensive survey of insect fauna on Farwa Island and adds significant value to the ongoing assessment of insect diversity in Libya. A long-term study has to be conducted to investigate detailed information about the abundance and diversity of insects and other arthropods on Farwa Island.

Analysis of factors associated with the first lumpy skin disease outbreaks in naïve cattle herds in different regions of Thailand.

Thailand experienced a nationwide outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in 2021, highlighting the need for effective prevention and control strategies. This study aimed to identify herd-level risk factors associated with LSD outbreaks in beef cattle herds across different regions of Thailand. A case-control study was conducted in upper northeastern, northeastern, and central regions, where face-to-face interviews were conducted with farmers using a semi-structured questionnaire. Univariable and multivariable mixed effect logistic regression analyses were employed to determine the factors associated with LSD outbreaks. A total of 489 beef herds, including 161 LSD outbreak herds and 328 non-LSD herds, were investigated. Results showed that 66% of farmers have operated beef herds for more than five years. There were very few animal movements during the outbreak period. None of the cattle had been vaccinated with LSD vaccines. Insects that have the potential to act as vectors for LSD were observed in all herds. Thirty-four percent of farmers have implemented insect control measures. The final mixed effect logistic regression model identified herds operating for more than five years (odds ratio [OR]: 1.62, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-2.53) and the absence of insect control management on the herd (OR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.29-3.25) to be associated with LSD outbreaks. The implementation of insect-vector control measures in areas at risk of LSD, especially for herds without vaccination against the disease, should be emphasized. This study provides the first report on risk factors for LSD outbreaks in naïve cattle herds in Thailand and offers useful information for the development of LSD prevention and control programs within the country's context.

Enhancing Food Grains Storage Systems through Insect Pest Detection and Control Measures for Maize and Beans: Ensuring Food Security Post-COVID-19 Tanzania

COVID-19 poses a significant threat to the present and future of mankind. The emergence of diverse strains during the pandemic creates uncertainty regarding their disappearance or resurgence. Lockdown measures and travel restrictions impact national and household food systems, hindering the movement of people and goods. Effective COVID-19 control requires science-based preventive measures and consideration of food availability. In Tanzania, resource-constrained farmers rely on the self-storage of food crops. Precise pest control information and tailored detection/storage systems are essential for preserving major staple foods such as maize and beans, which face frequent infestation by beetles and moths. Traditional methods used before the pandemic are insufficient compared to advanced global alternatives. This paper reviewed about 175 publications from different databases, dated from 1984 to 2023 (2023 to 2014 = 134, 2013 to 2004 = 26 and 2003 to 1984 = 15), assessing storage management for maize and beans. Identifying gaps between Tanzania and global advancements aiming to empower farming communities with the latest technologies and ensuring food security amid the pandemic.

Bleeding skin lesions in gestating sows of a piglet producing farm in Austria

BackgroundStomoxys calcitrans, the stable fly, occurs in pig producing countries worldwide. While in cattle the impact of this blood sucking insect is quite well described, its role in pig production is poorly investigated. Here we describe a case of a massive stable fly overpopulation in the gestation unit of a piglet producing farm in Austria that resulted in bleeding skin lesions in bitten sows.Case PresentationIn October 2021, the responsible herd veterinarian of the case farm reported of sows in the gestation area presenting with bloody crusts on the whole skin surface of the body and of bleeding skin lesions. 33/55 sows were affected by moderate to severe skin lesions. Reproductive performance decreased during the time of massive stable fly overpopulation. Sows in the gestation unit showed defensive behaviour and at a certain time point resigned and accepted being bitten by stable flies. After controlling the fly population, reproductive performance improved and even exceeded the performance before the massive overgrowth of the stable fly population.ConclusionsStable flies are a serious harm to pigs and should be kept in mind for improved animal health and welfare. Knowledge about the determination of Stomoxys calcitrans and early recognition of an increasing stable fly population in pig farming systems followed by proper insect control measures have to be performed to reduce losses caused by this harming insect.

Investigating the role of the ROS/CncC signaling pathway in the response to xenobiotics in Spodoptera frugiperda using Sf9 cells

Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm, FAW) is an invasive polyphagous lepidopteran pest that has developed sophisticated resistance mechanisms involving detoxification enzymes to eliminate toxic compounds it encounters in its diet including insecticides. Although its inventory of detoxification enzymes is known, the mechanisms that enable an adapted response depending on the toxic compound remain largely unexplored. Sf9 cells were used to investigate the role of the transcription factors, Cap n′ collar isoform C (CncC) and musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma (Maf) in the regulation of the detoxification response. We overexpressed CncC, Maf or both genes, and knocked out (KO) CncC or its repressor Kelch-like ECH associated protein 1 (Keap1). Joint overexpression of CncC and Maf is required to confer increased tolerance to indole 3-carbinol (I3C), a plant secondary metabolite, and to methoprene, an insecticide. Both molecules induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) pulses in the different cell lines. The use of an antioxidant reversed ROS pulses and restored the tolerance to I3C and methoprene. The activity of detoxification enzymes varied according to the cell line. Suppression of Keap1 significantly increased the activity of cytochrome P450s, carboxylesterases and glutathione S-transferases. RNAseq experiments showed that CncC mainly regulates the expression of detoxification genes but is also at the crossroads of several signaling pathways (reproduction and immunity) maintaining homeostasis. We present new data in Sf9 cell lines suggesting that the CncC:Maf pathway plays a central role in FAW response to natural and synthetic xenobiotics. This knowledge helps to better understand detoxification gene expression and may help to design next-generation pest insect control measures.

Fitness Costs Associated With Insecticide Resistance in Populations of Homalodisca vitripennis Germar (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae).

The glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), is an important vector of bacterial Xyllela diseases throughout the southern and southwestern portions of the United States. Strong insect control measures, such that population densities of the insect vector are significantly reduced, are often necessary to limit the spread of Xylella fastidiosa. Glassy-winged sharpshooter populations within the Central Valley of California have developed a high resistance to imidacloprid (resistance ratio greater than 3,200) and tolerance to pyrethroids (ratio of less than 10) due to frequent applications of these materials. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential effects of insecticide resistance upon a variety of sharpshooter life history parameters associated with reproductive fitness. Our results indicate that individuals from susceptible populations of glassy-winged sharpshooters exhibited significantly higher fecundity and longer adult lifespans than those from the resistant populations. Additionally, resistant individuals were on average slightly larger than susceptible individuals. These results provide a strong indication that resistance to neonicotinoids imposes a reproductive fitness cost in an insecticide-free environment.

Burden and Risk Factors Associated with Bronchial Asthma among Secondary School Children in Abha City, Saudi Arabia

Background and Objective: Certain regional demographic factors, such as high altitude, may serve as an aggravating factor that may further jeopardize the already burdened airways of asthmatic children. Abha city is located at a high altitude in the Aseer Province of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study explored the prevalence of bronchial asthma among secondary school students residing in Abha city and the associated risk factors for the same. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study used a simple random sampling technique to collect the data. The study enrolled 487 students (243 males and 244 females). A self-designed questionnaire was used to interview the students regarding personal, family, and environmental characteristics that could be associated with asthma. Results: The prevalence of bronchial asthma among secondary school students in Abha city was found to be 9%. 40% of cases of asthma were seasonal. The most frequent allergens were dust (95.6%), smoke (80%), incense (65.9%), perfumes (29.5%), and some food items. Only 37.8% of cases regularly took treatment and just 24.4% regularly visited asthma clinics. Cigarette smoking, the presence of overcrowding, and cockroaches in house were significantly associated with asthma in comparison to nonasthmatics. Conclusions: It is recommended that asthmatic students must quit smoking and avoid exposure to dust, smoke, and animal pets. Proper house cleaning and insect control measures must be adopted. Health education and awareness about triggers of bronchial asthma should be increased. People must be educated about the harmful effects of incense burning in asthma.

On the Issue of Control of Blood-Sucking Diptera during Preparation and Holding of a Mass Event in Volgograd

Background: Abundance and diversity of blood-sucking Diptera, including mosquitoes and midges, is an epidemiologic and health problem in the Volgograd Region. Objective: To examine the combination of pest control, organizational, and entomological measures aimed at reducing the number of blood-sucking Diptera when preparing and holding the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the city of Volgograd in order to ensure sanitary and epidemiological wellbeing of the participants and guests of this international gathering and to evaluate their effectiveness. Materials and methods: We analyzed operational and historical materials of entomological observations of mosquitoes and midges, phenological monitoring of preimaginal stages of blood-sucking black flies (Family Simuliidae) in water bodies and adjacent areas during preparations to the 2018 FIFA World Cup matches in Volgograd. Entomological observations included population counts and collection of blood-sucking arthropods using standard methods. An airplane was used for larvicidal treatment of large areas of wetlands of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain. We analyzed the effectiveness of disinsection aimed at exterminating preimaginal and winged stages of blood-sucking mosquitoes and midges. Results: According to entomological observations, on the first day of the mass flight of blood-sucking midges, the number of attacks on sports facilities ranged from 10 to 20 and then decreased to 3–5 on the following days causing no disturbance. On the opposite, the number of attacks of midges approached 50 in the areas where appropriate insect control measures were not taken. Conclusion: We managed to achieve a significant decline in insect populations, thus ensuring sanitary and epidemiological wellbeing during international football matches in Volgograd.

Insect Characteristics to Consider for Design of Effective Insect Control Measures

Insect Characteristics to Consider for Design of Effective Insect Control Measures

Remote Insects Trap Monitoring System Using Deep Learning Framework and IoT.

Insect detection and control at an early stage are essential to the built environment (human-made physical spaces such as homes, hotels, camps, hospitals, parks, pavement, food industries, etc.) and agriculture fields. Currently, such insect control measures are manual, tedious, unsafe, and time-consuming labor dependent tasks. With the recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of things (IoT), several maintenance tasks can be automated, which significantly improves productivity and safety. This work proposes a real-time remote insect trap monitoring system and insect detection method using IoT and Deep Learning (DL) frameworks. The remote trap monitoring system framework is constructed using IoT and the Faster RCNN (Region-based Convolutional Neural Networks) Residual neural Networks 50 (ResNet50) unified object detection framework. The Faster RCNN ResNet 50 object detection framework was trained with built environment insects and farm field insect images and deployed in IoT. The proposed system was tested in real-time using four-layer IoT with built environment insects image captured through sticky trap sheets. Further, farm field insects were tested through a separate insect image database. The experimental results proved that the proposed system could automatically identify the built environment insects and farm field insects with an average of 94% accuracy.

Selected Insect Pests of Economic Importance to Brassica oleracea, Their Control Strategies and the Potential Threat to Environmental Pollution in Africa

The most common destructive insect pests affecting cabbages in African smallholder farmers include Plutella xylostella, Helula undalis, Pieris brassicae, Brevycoryne brassicae, Trichoplusia ni and Myzus persicae. Those insect pests infest cabbages at different stages of growth, causing huge damage and resulting into huge yield losses. The African smallholder farmers use cultural and synthetic pesticides to control insect pests and minimize infestations. The cultural practices like crop rotation, weeding and handpicking are used to minimize the invasion of cabbage pests. However, those practices are not sufficiently enough to control cabbage insect pests although they are cheap and safe to the environment. Also, the African smallholder famers rely intensively on the application of broad-spectrum of synthetic pesticides to effectively control the cabbage pests in the field. Due to severe infestation of cabbages caused by those insects, most of African smallholder farmers decide to; first, increase the concentrations of synthetic pesticides beyond the recommended amount by manufacturers. Secondly, increase the rate of application of the synthetic pesticides throughout the growing season to effectively kill the most stubborn insect pests infesting cabbages (Brassica oleracea var. capitata). Thirdly, they mix more than two synthetic pesticides for the purpose of increasing the spectrum of killing the most stubborn insect pests in the field. All those scenarios intensify the environmental pollution especially soil and water pollution. Moreover, most of insecticides sprayed are made with broad-spectrum and are hazardous chemicals posing environmental pollution and threats to natural enemies’ ecosystems. Therefore, this paper reviews Brassica oleracea var. capitata insect pests and control measures as a potential environmental pollution threat in African smallholder farmers.

Use and Role of Mobile Phone for Information Services in Agricultural Activities

The main purpose of this study was to determine the use and role of mobile phone for information services in agricultural activities as well as to explore the relationship between the socio-economic characteristics of women farmers and their use of mobile phone in agricultural activities. Data were collected using pre-tested interview schedule from a sample of 85 women farmers during the month of August 2018. Besides descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) was used to explore the significant influencing factors. Ten (10) different android mobile phone apps were identified which are most frequently used by the women farmers in the study area. Among the mobile apps, ‘vutta or maize app’ was found as the top used mobile app for information services in agricultural activities. This might be because of rapidly spreading of maize cultivation as a highly benefited cereal crops against the climatic change situation in the study area. Findings indicated that among the women farmers, majority (64.7 percent) of the women farmers used mobile phone moderately for information services in agricultural activities followed by 23.5 percent high and only 11.8 percent low used of mobile phone. Among ten socio-economic characteristics of the women farmers, education, annual income, organizational participation, training received and ICT self-efficacy had positive significant relationship and influence of the use of mobile phone in agricultural activities. ‘Insect and disease control measures’ was found the 1st ranked agricultural activities in which mobile phone played highest role for information services. It suggests that issues related to economic impact or effect of mobile phone on sustainable livelihood could be considered for future research to be undertaken.

Grazing by wild giant pandas does not affect the regeneration of Arundinaria spanostachya

Arundinaria spanostachya is the main bamboo species on which giant pandas forage. Information on its regeneration capacity to meet the foraging demands of pandas is important to ensure the long-term survival of pandas. In 2014, 2 plot types (grazed versus control) were selected in the winter habitat used by one wild giant panda. Various morphological and regeneration characteristics of the bamboo were assessed in the respective plots during 2014 and 2015. The panda avoided feeding on bamboo with a basal diameter of < 6 mm, preferentially feeding on intermediate-sized bamboo. The density of new shoots and the recruitment rate of shoots were significantly higher in the grazed plots compared to the control plots. The annual recruitment rate of shoots was markedly higher than the annual mortality rate in the same plot type. After grazing, the basal diameter and height of new bamboo were similar between the 2 plots. In the grazed plots, the basal diameter of new bamboo was similar to that of the stumps. Innutrition and foraging by insects were the main factors influencing the survival of new shoots. Our results showed that grazing by giant pandas helped the clonal regeneration of A. spanostachya populations, with the basal diameter of new bamboo shoots meeting the foraging demand of pandas. However, information on the carrying capacity of A. spanostachya is necessary to ensure sufficient forage matter is available for reintroduced giant pandas. Furthermore, fertilization and insect control measures should be implemented during the shooting period to optimize A. spanostachya resources.

Curling and Puckering of Leaves of Terminalia arjuna in N-W States of India: Insect Pest, Natural Enemies and Control Measures

Curling and Puckering of Leaves of Terminalia arjuna in N-W States of India: Insect Pest, Natural Enemies and Control Measures

Fauna and relative frequency of synanthropic flies in the biggest Persian Gulf Island, Qeshm, Iran

Objective: To identify the relative abundance of medically important species of flies and their seasonal activity on Qeshm Island in Persian Gulf, Iran. Methods: Flies collection was performed during Mar 2011 to Feb 2012 in all different areas of the island by using the common fly trap and plastic water bottle fly trap, reverse-cone model, containing tainted lamb or beef meat as bait. The captured flies were identified by using valid flies systematic keys, checklists and species description. The relative abundances and seasonal activity of flies, was estimated by means of flies captured per trap in every month. Results: In this study a total number of 11 species of medically important flies in three families including Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae and Muscidae, were collected. The relative means abundance of flies was estimated to be (6.3 ± 1.1) per trap. The most abundance was seen in rural areas in the South of Qeshm Island with (10.1 ± 1.5) per trap. In this island, medically impotent flies had two peaks of activity in early spring and early autumn, during April and October. Flies activity decreases in July and August due to the high increase of temperature and humidity of the weather. In February, the relative decrease in air temperature reduces the activity of the flies. Conclussions: Flies diversity and abundance in spring and early autumn were higher, especially in rural areas of Southern Qeshm Island. The high diversity and abundance of flies are moderate in Qeshm. Insect control measures should be conducted during the peak of flies activity. Peer reviewer P

Impact of local pre-harvest management practices in maize on the occurrence of Fusarium species and associated mycotoxins in two agro-ecosystems in Tanzania

Knowledge on the presence of mycotoxins in Africa is fragmentary, although it can be assumed that both concentrations and prevalence in food commodities is high. The present study focuses on the presence of Fusarium species and their associated mycotoxins in maize from two geographically distant agro ecological systems in Tanzania. In a two-year survey, both Fusarium species and concomitant mycotoxins were surveyed in the Northern highlands (Hanang district) and the Eastern lowlands (Kilosa district). Parallel with this, a questionnaire on agricultural practices in both agro-ecosystems was included in this study. This allowed us to put the presence of the toxigenic Fusarium species and their mycotoxins within a relevant agricultural framework.Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium poae were the predominant species in both locations although the population in the Eastern lowlands was slightly more complex comprising also Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium avenaceum and Fusarium sporotrichioides. The predominant presence of F. verticillioides resulted in a high prevalence of fumonisins in both regions. The importance of F. graminearum in the population was reflected by the presence of deoxynivalenol in the mycotoxin analysis. Although the agricultural practices differed significantly amongst both locations, only few significant correlations were detected between mycotoxin presence and crop rotation, storage conditions, and insect control measures.

Marking and retention of harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica (Hahn) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), on pheromone-baited and unbaited plants

Harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica )i s an important pest of cole crops in the USA. The adults and nymphs feed on aboveground plant tissues by sucking cell contents and can seriously damage the host. Current insect control measures on cole crops target mainly lepidopteran pests, and the insecticides generally used do not control harlequin bug, so alternative management practices need to be explored. Previous research has established the existence of a male-produced pheromone attractive to both sexes and nymphs of M. histrionica. In this work, two systems of marking bugs were tested to verify if the mark affected fitness traits such as survival and host location. In a second phase, marked individuals were placed on trap host plants baited with synthetic pheromone lures to test whether mi- gration rates were related to M. histrionica density on the trap plants and the presence of the attractants. Neither marking system affected the survival or orientation of the subjects compared to unmarked individuals. The pher- omone lures significantly increased the attractiveness of the trap plants, but did not increase the retention time of the plants compared to unbaited plants. Emigration from the trap plants showed a constant rate and seemed unrelated to bug density on the plants. However, a mean peak density of ca. 36 bugs/plant was calculated. Beyond this number, density tended to decrease. These successful marking methods and retention time models support development of M. histrionica management with trap crops, by providing tentative control thresholds and decision rules.

Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus: a white-backed planthopper-transmitted fijivirus threatening rice production in Asia

Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV), a non-enveloped icosahedral virus with a genome of 10 double-stranded RNA segments, is a novel species in the genus Fijivirus (family Reoviridae) first recognized in 2008. Rice plants infected with this virus exhibit symptoms similar to those caused by Rice black-streaked dwarf virus. Since 2009, the virus has rapidly spread and caused serious rice losses in East and Southeast Asia. Significant progress has been made in recent years in understanding this disease, especially about the functions of the viral genes, rice–virus–insect interactions, and epidemiology and control measures. The virus can be efficiently transmitted by the white-backed planthopper (WBPH, Sogatella furcifera) in a persistent circulative propagative manner but cannot be transmitted by the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) and small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus). Rice, maize, Chinese sorghum (Coix lacryma-jobi) and other grass weeds can be infected via WBPH. However, only rice plays a major role in the virus infection cycle because of the vector’s preference. In Southeast Asia, WBPH is a long-distance migratory rice pest. The disease cycle can be described as follows: SRBSDV and its WBPH vector overwinter in warm tropical or sub-tropical areas; viruliferous WBPH adults carry the virus from south to north via long-distance migration in early spring, transmit the virus to rice seedlings in the newly colonized areas, and lay eggs on the infected seedlings; the next generation of WBPHs propagate on infected seedlings, become viruliferous, disperse, and cause new disease outbreaks. Several molecular and serological methods have been developed to detect SRBSDV in plant tissues and individual insects. Control measures based on protection from WBPH, including seedbed coverage, chemical seed treatments, and chemical spraying of seedlings, have proven effective in China.

Comportamiento alimenticio de Rhodnius robustus Larrousse, 1927 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) en condiciones de laboratorio

Despite of indoor insect control measures, American trypanosomiasis cases still occur, with the participation of both peridomestic and sylvan species. One of these species is Rhodnius robustus, which has been found naturally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli.To describe the feeding behavior of R. robustus under laboratory conditions.We analyzed time spent for repletion, the number of defecations, the percentage and number of times insects defecated during blood intake, and the weight gained after blood feeding in each nymph stage of R. robustus.Repletion for R. robustus took between 19:26 to 44:55 (minutes:seconds) and all nymph stages defecated during blood feeding. The proportion of individuals which defecated during blood feeding varied between 13.3% and 93.3%. On the other hand, the highest average blood intake was observed in the fifth stage (337.19 mg), which is twice the blood intake of adults (161.25 mg).All stages of R. robustus dejected during blood feeding, which is an important factor for its vectorial competence. Nevertheless, the time prior to the first dejection, the percentage of dejections and number of individuals that dejected upon blood feeding, as well as the amount of ingested blood varied among stages, which means that feeding behavior is mediated by variables depending on age/stage.

Feasibility, limitation and possible solutions of RNAi‐based technology for insect pest control

Numerous studies indicate that target gene silencing by RNA interference (RNAi) could lead to insect death. This phenomenon has been considered as a potential strategy for insect pest control, and it is termed RNAi-mediated crop protection. However, there are many limitations using RNAi-based technology for pest control, with the effectiveness target gene selection and reliable double-strand RNA (dsRNA) delivery being two of the major challenges. With respect to target gene selection, at present, the use of homologous genes and genome-scale high-throughput screening are the main strategies adopted by researchers. Once the target gene is identified, dsRNA can be delivered by micro-injection or by feeding as a dietary component. However, micro-injection, which is the most common method, can only be used in laboratory experiments. Expression of dsRNAs directed against insect genes in transgenic plants and spraying dsRNA reagents have been shown to induce RNAi effects on target insects. Hence, RNAi-mediated crop protection has been considered as a potential new-generation technology for pest control, or as a complementary method of existing pest control strategies; however, further development to improve the efficacy of protection and range of species affected is necessary. In this review, we have summarized current research on RNAi-based technology for pest insect management. Current progress has proven that RNAi technology has the potential to be a tool for designing a new generation of insect control measures. To accelerate its practical application in crop protection, further study on dsRNA uptake mechanisms based on the knowledge of insect physiology and biochemistry is needed.