How Effective Are Push-Pull Semiochemicals as Deterrents for Bark Beetles? A Global Meta-Analysis of Thirty Years of Research.

Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are among the most damaging tree pests globally. Rising temperatures, drought, fire, storms, cyclones, and poor forest management cause stress and loss of vigour in trees, and these conditions favour bark beetle outbreaks. While research has been conducted on push-pull strategies to deter bark beetles, using attractive and deterrent semiochemicals, the potential of this strategy to reduce bark beetle populations, particularly in the genera and , remains uncertain.

Historical plant introductions predict current insect invasions.

Thousands of insect species have been introduced outside of their native ranges, and some of them strongly impact ecosystems and human societies. Because a large fraction of insects feed on or are associated with plants, nonnative plants provide habitat and resources for invading insects, thereby facilitating their establishment. Furthermore, plant imports represent one of the main pathways for accidental nonnative insect introductions.

Alien insect dispersal mediated by the global movement of commodities.

Globalization and economic growth are recognized as key drivers of biological invasions. Alien species have become a feature of almost every biological community worldwide, and rates of new introductions continue to rise as the movement of people and goods accelerates. Insects are among the most numerous and problematic alien organisms, and are mainly introduced unintentionally with imported cargo or arriving passengers.

Forest Insect Biosecurity: Processes, Patterns, Predictions, Pitfalls.

The economic and environmental threats posed by non-native forest insects are ever increasing with the continuing globalization of trade and travel; thus, the need for mitigation through effective biosecurity is greater than ever. However, despite decades of research and implementation of preborder, border, and postborder preventative measures, insect invasions continue to occur, with no evidence of saturation, and are even predicted to accelerate. In this article, we review biosecurity measures used to mitigate the arrival, establishment, spread, and impacts of non-native forest insects and possible impediments to the successful implementation of these measures.

Ovi-protective mothers: exploring the proteomic profile of weevil () egg capsules.

Insects of different orders produce elaborate structures to protect their eggs from the many threats they may face from the environment and natural enemies. In the weevil genus , their dark, hardened egg capsule is possibly generated by a mixture of the insects' excrement and glandular substances. To test this hypothesis, this study focused on the elucidation of protein components present in the egg capsule cover and interrogated them through comparative analysis and gene expression to help infer potential functions.

Worldwide border interceptions provide a window into human-mediated global insect movement.

As part of national biosecurity programs, cargo imports, passenger baggage, and international mail are inspected at ports of entry to verify compliance with phytosanitary regulations and to intercept potentially damaging nonnative species to prevent their introduction. Detection of organisms during inspections may also provide crucial information about the species composition and relative arrival rates in invasion pathways that can inform the implementation of other biosecurity practices such as quarantines and surveillance. In most regions, insects are the main taxonomic group encountered during inspections.

Molecular markers reveal diversity in composition of (Hymenoptera: Megastigmidae) from eucalypt galls.

Since outbreaks of the invasive blue gum chalcids spp. began, the genus (Hymenoptera: Megastigmidae) has been increasingly studied as containing potential biocontrol agents against these pests. species have been collected and described from Australia, the presumed origin of spp.

Multivariate ratio analysis and DNA markers reveal a new Australian species and three synonymies in eucalypt-gall-associated (Hymenoptera: Megastigmidae).

The genus Megastigmus Dalman, 1820 (Hymenoptera: Megastigmidae) contains potential biocontrol agents of the invasive eucalypt galling chalcid Leptocybe spp. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), with several species reported in various parts of the world. Species discrimination is challenging due to intraspecific morphological variation, difficulty in measuring sizes of body parts, and the lack of information regarding the global distribution of parasitic Megastigmus.

Mechanical properties of silk of the Australian golden orb weavers and .

Silks from orb-weaving spiders are exceptionally tough, producing a model polymer for biomimetic fibre development. The mechanical properties of naturally spun silk threads from two species of Australian orb-weavers, and , were examined here in relation to overall thread diameter, the size and number of fibres within threads, and spider size. , the larger of the two species, had significantly tougher silk with higher strain capacity than its smaller congener, producing threads with average toughness of 150 MJ m, despite thread diameter, mean fibre diameter and number of fibres per thread not differing significantly between the two species.

Proteomic analysis of the venom and venom sac of the woodwasp, Sirex noctilio - Towards understanding its biological impact.

Unlabelled: The European horntail woodwasp, Sirex noctilio, is an invasive insect that attacks conifer hosts, particularly Pinus species. Venom injected by female S. noctilio, together with its symbiotic fungus, damages the normal physiology of Pinus, leading to death of the tree.

Host tree influences on longicorn beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) attack in subtropical Corymbia (Myrtales: Myrtaceae).

Phoracantha longicorn beetles are endemic to Australia, and some species have become significant pests of eucalypts worldwide, yet little is known about their host plant interactions and factors influencing tree susceptibility in Australia. Here, we investigate the host relationships of Phoracantha solida (Blackburn, 1894) on four eucalypt taxa (one pure species and three hybrid families), examining feeding site physical characteristics including phloem thickness, density, and moisture content, and host tree factors such as diameter, height, growth, taper, and survival. We also determine the cardinal and vertical (within-tree) and horizontal (between-tree) spatial distribution of borers.

Two new species of Chrysomelobia Regenfuss, 1968 (Acariformes: Podapolipidae) from Paropsis charybdis Stål (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Two new species of Chrysomelobia Regenfuss, 1968, C. alleni n. sp.

Relatedness communicated in lemur scent.

Lemurs are the most olfactory-oriented of primates, yet there is still only a basic level of understanding of what their scent marks communicate. We analyzed scent secretions from Milne-Edwards' sifakas (Propithecus edwardsi) collected in their natural habitat of Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. We sought to test whether the scent mark could signal genetic relatedness in addition to species, sex, season, and individuality.

Corymbia species and hybrids: chemical and physical foliar attributes and implications for herbivory.

Hybridization is an important biological phenomenon that can be used to understand the evolutionary process of speciation of plants and their associated pests and diseases. Interactions between hybrid plants and the herbivores of the parental taxa may be used to elucidate the various cues being used by the pests for host location or other processes. The chemical composition of plants, and their physical foliar attributes, including leaf thickness, trichome density, moisture content and specific leaf weight were compared between allopatric pure and commercial hybrid species of Corymbia, an important subtropical hardwood taxon.

Female biased parasitism and the importance of host generation overlap in a sexually transmitted parasite of beetles.

Sexual transmission is a widespread means of infection, but apart from those in humans, the ecology of sexually transmitted organisms is not well known. In this study, we present an ecological study of a sexually transmitted mite, Parobia husbandi Seeman and Nahrung (Acari: Podapolipidae), that lives beneath the elytra of Chrysophtharta agricola (Chapuis) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). In each of 2 yr, prevalence of mites on beetles began each spring at about 10-20% but gradually increased to 80-100% by late summer.