Evaluation of olfactory and visual cues for conservation biological control of crape myrtle bark scale in urban landscapes.

Background: Acanthacoccus lagerstroemiae (crape myrtle bark scale, CMBS) is an exotic scale insect that feeds on the sap of crape myrtle trees. Heavy infestations of CMBS reduce flowering and honeydew promotes sooty mold growth on the leaves and branches, reducing the aesthetic value of crape myrtle trees in urban landscapes. Lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are generalist predators that feed on CMBS.

Effects of Food Source Availability, Host Egg:Parasitoid Ratios, and Host Exposure Times on the Developmental Biology of Egg Parasitoids.

Parasitoids forage for hosts in dynamic ecosystems and generally have a short period of time to access hosts. The current study examined the optimal reproductive attributes of two egg parasitoids, Dodd (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) and Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), of the kudzu bug, Fabricius (Hemiptera: Plataspidae). The proportion of and adult offspring that emerged from eggs and the sex ratio of the parasitoid offspring were compared among treatments for the effects of different adult parasitoid food sources, host egg-to-adult parasitoid ratios, and host exposure times.

Potential of the oothecal parasitoid Aprostocetus hagenowii (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) as a biological control agent for the Turkestan cockroach (Blattodea: Blattidae).

The Turkestan cockroach, Blatta lateralis (Walker), is a peridomestic pest of growing concern in the US Southwest. The parasitoid Aprostocetus hagenowii (Ratzburg) is used in IPM programs targeting other blattid cockroach species and may aid in B. lateralis suppression.

Preliminary Evidence That Fiji Water Has Protective Effects against Aluminum Toxicity in Honey Bees ().

Researchers have determined that bioavailable aluminum chloride (AlCl3) may affect honey bee behavior (e.g., foraging patterns and locomotion) and physiology (e.

Direct and Indirect Competitive Interactions between and Parasitizing Egg Patches.

The present study investigated egg parasitoid interspecific interactions between a generalist, Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and a specialist, Dodd (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) in a laboratory setting using kudzu bug ( Fabricius, (Hemiptera: Plataspidae)) eggs as their shared host. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the emergence of wasps from parasitized hosts after the simultaneous and sequential release of wasps, monitor aggressive behavior of , and quantify intraguild predation of larvae on heterospecific larvae. Results showed that total host egg parasitism was higher when both wasps were released simultaneously than if wasps were released sequentially.