Tool For Integrated Pest Management Research Articles

Metarhizium spp. isolates effective against Queensland fruit fly juvenile life stages in soil.

Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, Froggatt (Diptera: Tephritidae) is Australia's primary fruit fly pest species. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been adopted to sustainably manage this polyphagous species with a reduced reliance on chemical pesticides. At present, control measures are aimed at the adult stages of the fly, with no IPM tools available to target larvae once they exit the fruit and pupate in the soil. The use of entomopathogenic fungi may provide a biologically-based control method for these soil-dwelling life stages. The effectiveness of fungal isolates of Metarhizium and Beauveria species were screened under laboratory conditions against Queensland fruit fly. In bioassays, 16 isolates were screened for pathogenicity following exposure of third-instar larvae to inoculum-treated vermiculite used as a pupation substrate. The best performing Metarhizium sp. isolate achieved an average percentage mortality of 93%, whereas the best performing Beauveria isolate was less efficient, with an average mortality of 36%. Susceptibility to infection during different development stages was investigated using selected fungal isolates, with the aim of assessing all soil-dwelling life stages from third-instar larvae to final pupal stages and emerging adults. Overall, the third larval instar was the most susceptible stage, with average mortalities between 51-98% depending on the isolate tested. Moreover, adult mortality was significantly higher when exposed to inoculum during pupal eclosion, with mortalities between 56-76% observed within the first nine days post-emergence. The effect of temperature and inoculum concentration on insect mortality were assessed independently with candidate isolates to determine the optimum temperature range for fungal biological control activity and the rate required for application in field conditions. Metarhizium spp. are highly efficacious at killing Queensland fruit fly and have potential for use as biopesticides to target soil-dwelling and other life stages of B. tryoni.

Characterization and fungicide sensitivity of Trichoderma species causing green mold of Ganoderma sichuanense in China

Green mold disease, caused by Trichoderma spp., is one of the most devastating diseases of mushrooms in China. The application of fungicides remains one of the important control methods among the integrated pest management tools for disease management in mushroom farms. This study aimed to identify Trichoderma spp., isolated from G. sichuanense fruiting bodies displaying green mold symptoms collected from mushroom farms in Zhejiang, Hubei, and Jilin Province, China, and evaluate their in vitro sensitivity to six fungicides. A total of 47 isolates were obtained and classified into nine Trichoderma spp. namely, T. asperellum, T. citrinoviride, T. ganodermatiderum, T. guizhouense, T. hamatum, T. harzianum, T. koningiopsis, T. paratroviride, and T. virens, through morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of concatenated sequences of translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF) and DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II subunit (RPB2) genes. The pathogenicity test was repeated two times, and re-isolation of the nine Trichoderma spp. from the fruiting bodies of G. sichuanense fulfilled Koch’s postulates. Prochloraz manganese showed the best performance against most species. This research contributes to our understanding of green mold disease, reveals the phylogenetic relationships among Trichoderma species, and expands our knowledge of Trichoderma species diversity associated with green mold disease in G. sichuanense.

Insecticidal Effect of Diatomaceous Earth Formulations for the Control of a Wide Range of Stored-Product Beetle Species.

Diatomaceous earth (DE) formulations are promising alternatives over the use of traditional insecticides. In the present study, a series of laboratory bioassays was carried out to assess the efficacy of three diatomaceous earth formulations, i.e., Silicid, Celatom® MN-23, and SilicoSec®, for the control of a wide range of stored-product insect species in soft wheat. The species tested were Tribolium confusum, Tribolium castaneum, Sitophilus oryzae, Sitophilus granarius, Rhyzopertha dominica, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, and Alphitobious diaperinus. Different dose rates, i.e., 0 (control), 100, 300, 500, and 1000 ppm, were used for each of the aforementioned dust formulations. Mortality levels of the exposed individuals were assessed after 3, 7, 14, and 21 days of exposure. Moreover, progeny were counted 65 days later. Based on our results, dust formulations were effective for the control of most of the stored-product beetle species tested. Among the DE formulations tested, Silicid could adequately control the stored-product insect species. Complete suppression of offspring was observed only for secondary species (T. confusum, T. castaneum, O. surinamensis, and A. diaperinus). For primary species (S. oryzae, S. granarius, and R. dominica), the lowest number of progeny was observed in wheat treated with Silicid. For instance, in the case of R. dominica, significantly fewer individuals were produced in Silicid-treated wheat at the highest dose rate. The results of the present study aim to encourage the utilization of DE in stored-product protection as an integrated pest management tool. Additional experimentation is required to apply the tested DE formulations in the field and on different surfaces.

Understanding the impact of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith) leaf damage on maize yields.

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith), a serious pest of maize and other cereals, recently invaded the Old World potentially threatening the food security and incomes of millions of smallholder farmers. Being able to assess the impacts of a pest on yields is fundamental to developing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches. Hence, working with an early maturing, medium maturing and late maturing variety, we inoculated maize plants with 2nd instar S. frugiperda larvae at V5, V8, V12, VT and R1 growth stages to investigate the effects of FAW induced damage on yield. Different plants were inoculated 0-3 times and larvae were removed after 1 or 2 weeks to generate a wide range of damage profiles. We scored plants for leaf damage at 3, 5 and 7 weeks after emergence (WAE) using the 9 point Davis scale. While at harvest we assessed ear damage (1-9 scale), and recorded plant height and grain yield per plant. We used Structural Equation Models to assess the direct effects of leaf damage on yield and indirect effects via plant height. For the early and medium maturing varieties leaf damage at 3 and 5 WAE, respectively, had significant negative linear effects on grain yield. In the late maturing variety, leaf damage at 7 WAE had an indirect effect on yield through a significant negative linear effect on plant height. However, despite the controlled screenhouse conditions, in all three varieties leaf damage explained less than 3% of the variation in yield at the plant level. Overall, these results indicate that S. frugiperda induced leaf damage has a slight but detectable impact on yield at a specific plant developmental stage, and our models will contribute to the development of decision-support tools for IPM. However, given the low average yields obtained by smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa and the relatively low levels of FAW induced leaf damage recorded in most areas, IPM strategies should focus on interventions aimed at improving plant vigour (e.g. through integrated soil fertility management) and the role of natural enemies, as these are likely to result in greater yield gains at lower cost than a focus on FAW control.

Introducing an ecologically-based pest management approach in Cambodia through adaptive learning networks

How can we reach farmers with ecologically-based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) while creating a supportive context for adoption by farmers and relevant stakeholders? We assessed a new method – Adaptive Learning Networks – from reflections of varied stakeholders, farmer diaries and survey data procured in 2016 and 2019. This method is different from current IPM approaches, in that an explicit focus of learning was on engaging other stakeholders to enable adoption by farmers. For example, access to IPM products, providing new services and creating new policies were intrinsically part of the learning process, alongside learning on-farm IPM techniques. The main consideration is to ease farmers from being locked into the practice of pesticide reliance. The method facilitated multi-stakeholder learning that led to an adaptation of the IPM tools and techniques in the case examined. The priority of this new method was socio-technical learning, wherein varied stakeholders modify interactions, incentives and arrangements relating to pest management. Comparing 2016 and 2019 data, there was a significant reduction in insecticide, herbicide, and rodenticide applications. The observed outcomes indicate the potential to enable a wider spread of IPM technologies.

The dispersal ability of the invasive larger grain borer and the cosmopolitan maize weevil after brief exposure to a newer insecticide formulation

The larger grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus) and the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) are major pests of stored maize. Given the threat of these insects to our maize supply, the increasing insecticide resistance to currently used chemical control tactics such as phosphine, and the removal of effective chemistries from the market (methyl-bromide), there is a need for alternative integrated pest management tools. Here, we present a more realistic test of the effectiveness of a novel insecticide formulation (methoprene + deltamethrin + piperonyl butoxide, PBO; tradename, Gravista ®) in comparison to past conventional insecticide evaluations at reducing the horizontal dispersal capacity to food patches of both stored product species in comparison to an older formulation (methoprene + deltamethrin; tradename, Diacon IGR+®). For these experiments, we used a dispersal apparatus (consisting of 30 or 70 cm PVC pipe modified with a baited pitfall trap at one end) where we introduced cohorts of adults after exposure on concrete arenas at labeled rates and gave them 48 h to disperse to a novel food source consisting of 15 g of maize. The dispersal capacity for P. truncatus, measured as the percentage of adults dispersing to the novel food source, was significantly reduced by 90–97% after exposure to Gravista or Diacon IGR+ compared to the control. By contrast, the dispersal capacity for S. zeamais was only reduced by 5–25% after exposure to either insecticide formulation compared to the control. Both formulations performed equally well for each individual species, but dispersal of S. zeamais was not strongly impacted. Overall, our study highlights the importance of using realistic behavioral assays in comprehensive insecticide testing to provide a full picture of insecticide efficacy.

Identification and Fungicide Sensitivity of Colletotrichum spp. from Apple Flowers and Fruitlets in Brazil.

Glomerella leaf spot (GLS) and bitter rot (BR), caused by Colletotrichum spp., are major diseases on apple in southern Brazil. Among integrated pest management tools for disease management in commercial orchards, fungicides remain an important component. This study aimed to identify Colletotrichum spp. from cultivar Eva in Paraná state orchards; evaluate their in vitro sensitivity to cyprodinil, tebuconazole, iprodione, and fluazinam; and determine the baseline in vitro sensitivity of these isolates to benzovindiflupyr and natamycin. Most isolates belonged to Colletotrichum melonis and C. nymphaeae of the C. acutatum species complex. The two species varied in sensitivity to fluazinam and tebuconazole, but no variability was found for any other fungicide. The lowest 50% effective concentration (EC50) values of Colletotrichum spp. were observed for cyprodinil (mean EC50 < 0.02) and benzovindiflupyr (mean EC50 < 0.05); EC50 values were intermediate for fluazinam (mean EC50 < 0.33) and tebuconazole (mean EC50 < 0.14), and they were highest for natamycin (mean EC50 < 5.56) and iprodione (mean EC50 > 12). Cyprodinil and fluazinam are registered for use in Brazil for apple disease management but not specifically for GLS and BR. Tebuconazole is one of the few products registered for Colletotrichum spp. control in apples. In conclusion, flowers and fruitlets can serve as sources of inoculum for GLS and BR disease; C. acutatum was the predominant species complex in these tissues; cyprodinil and fluazinam applications may suppress GLS and BR; and benzovindiflupyr and natamycin warrant further investigation for GLS and BR disease control of apple due to comparably high in vitro sensitivity.

River infrastructure and the spread of freshwater invasive species: Inferences from an experimentally‐parameterised individual‐based model

Abstract Invasive species and river infrastructure are major threats to freshwater biodiversity. These stressors are commonly considered in isolation, yet the construction and maintenance of river infrastructure can both enhance and limit the expansion of invasive species. Spatial and temporal limitations of laboratory and field studies, coupled with little consideration of population‐level responses (e.g. invasion rate), have limited understanding of the efficacy of infrastructure for long‐term, catchment‐scale containment of invasive species. This study utilised an individual‐based model (IBM) to investigate the ability of a partial riverine barrier to contain the spread of invasive species at large spatio‐temporal scales, using American signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus as a model species. The base model (no barrier) accurately recreated longitudinal expansion rates of signal crayfish reported in existing literature. A virtual riverine barrier was added to the base model, with passage at the structure parameterised using existing literature and the results of an experiment that demonstrated no clear relationship between crayfish density and passage efficiency at a Crump weir. Model outputs indicated a weir downstream of the release point had no effect on longitudinal expansion of crayfish, whereas an upstream barrier slowed the invasion rate for 6.5 years after it was first encountered. After the invasion rate had recovered to pre‐barrier levels, the invasion front was 2.4 km further downstream than predicted in the absence of a barrier, representing a 1.73 year delay in longitudinal range expansion. Synthesis and applications. Despite substantial negative impacts on native biodiversity, river infrastructure can also delay the spread of freshwater invasive species, representing a trade‐off. This demonstrates the need to consider positive ecological consequences of river infrastructure when designing prioritisation techniques for barrier removal and mitigation (e.g. selective fish passage), and suggests that in some cases barriers may provide a useful integrated pest management tool.

Arthropod Pest Management Practices of Strawberry Growers in Florida: A Survey of the 2019-2020 Field Season

This publication is aimed at growers, Extension agents, industry partners, and the general public who have an interest in integrated pest management (IPM) tools used by growers in general and strawberry growers in particular. The purpose is to establish a baseline of adopted IPM practices by the strawberry industry in Florida so that changes in behavior can be tracked in future. To document the current pest management practices, an in-person survey of 24 strawberry growers in Hillsborough Co., FL was conducted (IRB# 201902072) during the field season of 2019-2020. The survey showed that 70% of strawberry growers spray their crop more than 5 times in a season with an insecticide/miticide. But strawberry growers have developed an awareness of IPM tools available to them and are already using these tools such as releasing biological control agents for mite management, cover cropping, and considering planting banker (flowering) crops in designated spaces in and around their fields.

Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Approach to Pest Management in Your Edible Landscape

This new 8-page publication of the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department defines different types of pests that a home gardener might encounter and encourages diversifying landscapes as a solution to pest problems. It focuses on what is called “the triangle” of IPM, a guide to managing pests using multiple methods, and provides examples of Integrated Pest Management tools that can be applied in the home context to address these pests. Several links to resources relevant to edible Florida-Friendly landscapes are included. Written by Tina McIntyre, Rachel Gutner, Hamutahl Cohen, Tiare Silvasy, and Esen Momol.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep629

Adoption of Amyelois transitella (navel orangeworm) monitoring and management practices across California tree nut crops

Abstract In California, the most significant insect pest of almonds and pistachios is the navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Walker) and is a pest of walnuts. This pest attacks the nuts and infestation is associated with aflatoxin contamination. While there are multiple integrated pest management (IPM) practices available, anecdotal evidence suggests that not all tools are equally utilized. To understand current industry practices and barriers to adoption, the authors surveyed tree nut growers and industry professionals across 7 University of California Cooperative Extension meetings in California’s Central Valley. Findings indicate that as managed acres decreased, participants were less likely to report using as many IPM tools, and pest control advisers reported higher use of multiple practices compared to orchard owners and managers. Key barriers to adoption varied by practice and included high economic costs, low labor availability, environmental conditions, and/or timing constraints. Many respondents were skeptical of the efficacy of mating disruption, a relatively new strategy compared to other IPM tools. Finally, a cluster analysis identified thirteen aggregate grower profiles. Groups primarily differed in their use of monitoring practices, although some groups were also less likely to use sanitation or pesticides. Two groups were distinguished as “early adopters” through their use of mating disruption and/or ovibait traps. These findings document variability in adoption of IPM practices for A. transitella in tree nuts. Identification of the primary barriers and constraints for specific grower groups will inform research and extension efforts to further promote adoption of key IPM strategies.

Validation of integrated pest management tools against Lepidopterous insect pest of rice

Validation of integrated pest management tools against Lepidopterous insect pest of rice

Problems faced and their suggestions from sugarcane farmers in the adoption of integrated pest management

This study was conducted at Khairabad Development Block of Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh during 2015-16 to find out the problems faced by sugarcane farmers in the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices. Five villages were randomly selected from this development block, and 20 sugarcane farmers from each village were selected by random sampling, resulting in a sample size of 100 respondents. The study found that information on ‘lack of information about bio-agent, bio-fertilizers, and bio-pesticides in rural areas’ (89%), quality IPM materials are not available in farmer's sales centers’ (88%), and found that the ‘improved IPM tools are not available in rural areas’ (86%) were the major problems faced by respondents in adopting integrated pest management for sugar cane crop cultivation. ‘Credit facilities made easily available at low-interest rate’ (86%), ‘provide quality IPM materials at farmer's sales centers’ (84%), and ‘provide suitable information about bio-agent, bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides in rural areas’ (78%) were major suggestions offered by respondents in the adoption of IPM practices in sugarcane crop cultivation.

Integrated Pest Management Tools for Strawberry Seed Bug Pest on Organic Strawberries in Florida

Strawberry seed bug, Neopamera bilobata (Say), is a pest of organic strawberries in Florida. The rhyparochromidae species has been collected in a range of habitats worldwide, including South and Central America and many states in the southeastern United States. Strawberry seed bugs can cause injury to ripe strawberries, decreasing growers’ profits. Integrated pest management techniques can mitigate strawberry seed bug populations in organic systems. This publication provides an overview of the strawberry seed bug and the injuries it can cause to strawberries produced in Florida. It includes monitoring and management options growers can use against strawberry seed bugs in organic strawberry production.

Effects of Alkaline Calcareous and Magnesium Soil Amendments on the Incidence of Bacterial Wilt of Tomato

Bacterial wilt of tomato caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is one of the major hindrances in tomato production. Previously, we demonstrated that increases of field soil pH up to the weakly alkaline condition at approximately pH 7.5 using slag fertilizer led to the reduction of disease severity caused by bacterial wilt. However, the method was laborious and needed large quantities of slag fertilizer. Therefore, in this study, I develop a labor- and cost-effective method that can be used in integrated pest management (IPM) programs based on the previous information. First, the effects of several alkaline minerals on the incidence of bacterial wilt were examined. Alkaline minerals alone did not cause a stable reduction of disease incidence. Then, the efficacy of the representative alkaline minerals calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) against the disease were tested in the combination with supplemental minerals. In 2018, the disease incidences were reduced by the combined treatment CaCO3 + a micronutrient fertilizer (MF) + iron (III) oxide (Fe2O3) + a silicon fertilizer (SF) or MgCO3 + MF + SF. Furthermore, synergistic effects were detected among the alkaline and supplemental minerals. Thus, the combinations of CaCO3 or MgCO3 with the MF, Fe2O3, or SF were synergistic against the disease and were labor and cost saving. However, in 2019, the disease incidences were not significantly reduced by each of the combined treatments, which suggests that more combinations with other IPM tools are needed for sufficient control of bacterial wilt. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Reduced Toxicities of Insecticides Against Brown Planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stål) Collected from Rice Fields in Bangladesh

The brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), caused severe yield losses in rice production in many Asian countries. Chemical control is the key component of the integrated pest management tool to control rice brown planthopper (BPH). However, reduced toxicity of insecticides against this pest has been reported. We investigated the BPH mortality rate and the evolution of insecticide resistance in BPH collected from Bangladesh to commonly used insecticides by the rice-stem dipping method. Both the BPH laboratory strain and field populations were used in this study. The mortality rate of the Gazipur field population ranges from 15% to 80%, after exposure to imidacloprid in different concentrations. The highest mortality was found in response to dinotefuran followed by chlorpyrifos and etofenprox. The mortality rate increased after the time of exposure in relation to the increased concentrations of the insecticides. Additionally, the selected BPH strain shows a higher level of resistance to imidacloprid (resistance ratio = 179.45-fold), while other field populations show low to moderate levels of resistance. Increased detoxification enzyme activity, cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, was found in imidacloprid-resistant BPH. This study provides important information regarding the reduced toxicities of frequently used insecticides to control BPH.

Potential of UV-C for management of two-spotted spider mites and thrips in Florida strawberry.

Major pests of Florida strawberry (two-spotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch; chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood; and western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande) are difficult to manage using only conventional chemical control. Previous research has demonstrated high mortality of T. urticae eggs after exposure to ultraviolet B (UV-B) light. Additionally, ultraviolet C (UV-C) light has been shown to suppress powdery mildew in strawberry at doses between 85 and 200 J m-2 with no damage to the plant. Therefore, UV-C may also have the potential to be used as an integrated pest management tool for arthropod pests of strawberry. The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the effect of UV-C on T. urticae, S. dorsalis, and F. occidentalis natural populations in open-field strawberry; and (ii) determine the effect of UV-C on T. urticae egg hatch after application in open-field strawberry. Field studies were conducted during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 strawberry seasons in Florida, USA. Four treatments were compared: (i) foliar application of spinetoram in response to natural pest pressure; (ii) application of UV-C 200 J m-2 twice a week; (iii) application of UV-C 350 J m-2 twice a week; and (iv) a non-treated control. In the field trials, suppression of T. urticae was observed at 350 J m-2 in 2020-2021. In the other field trials, no effect was observed due to low natural infestations. No negative impact on yield was observed from UV-C applications. UV-C shows promise as a component of an integrated pest management program for T. urticae in strawberry. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Baseline Susceptibility and Cross-Resistance of HearNPV in Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Brazil.

Simple SummaryHelicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV: Baculoviridae: Alphabaculovirus (Armigen®)) is a registered insecticide for the management of cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Brazil. We conducted studies of baseline susceptibility of Brazilian populations of H. armigera to HearNPV (Armigen®, AgBiTech, Fort Worth, TX, USA) and cross-resistance between HearNPV and insecticides as valuable knowledge in support of integrated pest management and insect resistance management programs.The marked adoption of bioinsecticides in Brazilian agriculture in recent years is, at least partially, explained by the increasingly higher levels of insect pest resistance to synthetic insecticides. In particular, several baculovirus-based products have been registered in the last 5 years, including Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV: Baculoviridae: Alphabaculovirus (Armigen®)). Understanding the susceptibility of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to HearNPV is an important step toward development of robust Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Insect Resistance Management programs (IRM) aimed at managing this serious insect pest. In this study, droplet feeding bioassays were used to characterize the baseline susceptibility to HearNPV (Armigen®) in H. armigera populations collected from major soybean and cotton-growing regions in Brazil. We defined and validated a diagnostic concentration for susceptibility monitoring of H. armigera populations to HearNPV. Additionally, cross-resistance between HearNPV and the insecticides flubendiamide and indoxacarb was evaluated by testing HearNPV in a susceptible strain and in resistant strains of H. armigera to these insecticides. A low interpopulation variation of H. armigera to HearNPV was detected. The LC50 values ranged from 1.5 × 105 to 1.1 × 106 occlusion bodies (OBs) per mL (7.3-fold variation). The mortality rate at the identified diagnostic concentration of 6.3 × 108 OBs/mL, based on the calculated LC99, ranged from 98.6 to 100% in populations of H. armigera collected from 2018 to 2020. No cross-resistance was detected between HearNPV and flubendiamide or indoxacarb. These results suggest that HearNPV (Armigen®) can be an effective tool in IPM and IRM programs to control H. armigera in Brazil.

Life history traits and a method for continuous mass rearing of the planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus, a vector of the causal agent of syndrome 'basses richesses' in sugar beet.

The planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus (Hemiptera: Cixiidae) is the main vector of the γ-3 proteobacterium 'Candidatus Arsenophonus phytopathogenicus' which causes the syndrome 'basses richesses' (SBR) in sugar beet. SBR is a new and fast-spreading disease in Central Europe that leads to high yield losses. To date, the development of management strategies has been hampered by insufficient knowledge about general life history traits of the planthopper and, most importantly, the year-round availability of insects reared under controlled conditions. Rearing of P. leporinus has been considered challenging and to date no protocol exists. Here we describe a method for mass rearing P. leporinus on sugar beet from egg to adult that has produced five generations and over 20 000 individuals between June 2020 and March 2022. An alternative host such as wheat is not necessary for completing the life cycle. No-choice experiments showed that P. leporinus lays 139.1 ± 132.9 eggs on sugar beet, whereas no oviposition was observed on its nymphal host wheat. Head capsule width was identified as a trait that unequivocally distinguished the five nymphal instars. Developmental time from first instar to adult was 193.6 ± 35.8 days for males and 193.5 ± 59.2 days for females. Infection rates of adults were tested with a nested polymerase chain reaction. The results demonstrated that 70%-80% of reared planthoppers across all generations carried the SBR proteobacterium. The mass-rearing protocol and life history data will help overcome an important bottleneck in SBR research and enhance efforts in developing integrated pest management tools. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Temporal increase of Varroa mites in trap frames used for drone brood removal during the honey bee season

AbstractVarroa mites are highly attracted to drone brood of honey bees (Apis mellifera), as it increases their chance of successful reproduction. Therefore, drone brood removal with trap frames is common practice among beekeepers in Europe and part of sustainable varroa control. However, it is considered labour‐intensive, and there are doubts about the effectiveness of this measure. At present, it is mostly unknown how many mites a drone frame can carry at different times of the season, and how many mites can be removed on average if this measure is performed frequently. Therefore, we sampled a total of 262 drone frames with varying proportion of capped cells (5–100%) from 18 different apiaries. Mites were washed out from brood collected from mid‐April to mid‐July based on a standard method to obtain comparable results. We found that a drone frame carried a median of 71.5 mites, and with the removal of four trap frames, about 286 mites can be removed per colony and season. In addition, mite counts were significantly higher in June and July than in April and May (Tukey‐HSD, P &lt; 0.05). The number of mites and the proportion of capped cells, however, were not correlated (R2 &lt; 0.01, P &lt; 0.05). Our results suggest that drone brood removal is effective in reducing Varroa destructor numbers in colonies, supporting the findings of previous studies on the efficacy of this measure. Although mite counts varied, we believe that increasing sample size over different seasons and locations could elucidate infestation patterns in drone brood and ultimately improve drone brood removal as an integrated pest management tool for a wider audience of beekeepers.