Publications by authors named "Michael J Aikins"

We investigated the effects of various foods and different rearing temperatures on the survival and development of the redlegged ham beetle Necrobia rufipes (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Cleridae), a serious pest of dry-cured hams. The diets tested were dried pet food, finely shredded copra, shredded cheese, dry-cured ham, ground fish meal, and mature larvae of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). As indicated by the growth index and k-values, N.

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Hessian fly is a notorious pest of wheat. Previous studies suggest that Hessian fly uses effector-based mechanisms to attack wheat plants during parasitism, but no direct evidence has been reported to support this postulation. Here, we produced recombinant proteins for five Family-1 candidate effectors and antibodies.

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The efficacy of sulfuryl fluoride was evaluated for control of fourth-instar pecan weevil, Curculio caryae (Horn), at 25°C for a 24-h exposure. Larvae, collected as they naturally emerged from pecans, were used to artificially infest pecan nuts. Infested nuts were fumigated with six concentration by time (CT) treatment dosages of sulfuryl fluoride (0-750 g-h/m3) within air-tight, glass containers.

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Research here explored the use of controlled atmospheres (CA) for managing arthropod pests that infest dry-cured hams. Experiments were conducted with low oxygen (O₂) achieved with low pressure under a vacuum, high carbon dioxide (CO₂), and ozone (O₃). Results showed that both low O₂ and high CO₂ levels required exposures up to 144 h to kill 100% of all stages of red-legged ham beetle, Necrobia rufipes (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) and ham mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) (Sarcoptiformes: Acaridae) at 23 °C.

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Background: Phosphine is a valuable fumigant to control pest populations in stored grains and grain products. However, recent studies indicate a substantial increase in phosphine resistance in stored product pests worldwide.

Results: To understand the molecular bases of phosphine resistance in insects, we used RNA-Seq to compare gene expression in phosphine-resistant and susceptible laboratory populations of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum.

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The bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), has resurged recently as a domestic pest in North America with very limited options for decisive control. We report efficacy studies with sulfuryl fluoride (SF) toward use as a structural fumigant to control bed bugs.

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We report that the abdominal epidermis and associated tissues are the predominant sources of male-produced pheromones in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum and, for the first time, describe the stereoisomeric composition of the natural blend of isomers of the aggregation pheromone 4,8-dimethyldecanal (DMD) in this important pest species. Quantitative analyses via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that the average amount of DMD released daily by single feeding males of T. castaneum was 878 ± 72 ng (SE).

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The insect arginine vasopressin-like (AVPL) peptide is of special interest because of its potential function in the regulation of diuresis. Genome sequences of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum yielded the genes encoding AVPL and AVPL receptor, whereas the homologous sequences are absent in the genomes of the fruitfly, malaria mosquito, silkworm, and honeybee, although a recent genome sequence of the jewel wasp revealed an AVPL sequence. The Tribolium receptor for the AVPL, the first such receptor identified in any insect, was expressed in a reporter system, and showed a strong response (EC(50)=1.

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