The mealybug, Ferrisia gilli Gullan, attacks important crops such as almonds, grapes, and pistachios in California. In pistachios, F. gilli has 3 generations per year, and a single insecticide application timed to the presence of first instars of the first or second generation provided sufficient control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Signoret), is a primary vineyard pest in California and other grape-growing regions throughout the World. Mating disruption programs are commercially available to manage Pl. ficus, but widespread adoption has been limited, in part, by high costs compared with insecticide programs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMelanaphis sacchari Zehntner is a new pest of sweet sorghum in the United States, with the potential to cause complete crop failure. In Kentucky, sweet sorghum is normally planted in early May and harvested in late August or September. Planting sweet sorghum earlier in the season may avoid damaging levels of M.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFor insects that overwinter as adults, winter food resources may affect subsequent spring reproduction and abundance. We tested if provision of food supplements to overwintering adult Hippodamia convergens (Guerin) increased energy reserves, winter survival, and spring reproduction. During 2015-2016, H.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCharacterization of intraspecific variation is required to assess the potential nontarget effects of augmentative releases of Hippodamia convergens (Guerin) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from the Western United States on local populations of this species in the Eastern United States. Adults of this predatory lady beetle species overwinter in adult reproductive diapause, thus examining responses to photoperiods can characterize geographic variation influencing their seasonal biology. This laboratory study quantified the induction and duration of adult reproductive diapause in five North American populations of H.
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