Chemical and behavioral analysis of the cuticular hydrocarbons from Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri.

Huanglongbing (HLB) is the most destructive disease of citrus worldwide. The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is the vector of the phloem-inhabiting bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, which is presumed to cause HLB in Florida citrus. Laboratory and field studies were conducted to examine the behavioral responses of male and female D.

Abdominal color of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, is associated with susceptibility to various insecticides.

Background: Color morphs of an insect species are known to vary in activities of detoxifying enzymes and associated susceptibility to insecticides. In Diaphorina citri, three color morphs are known to occur. In the present study, susceptibility to four insecticides was compared among gray/brown, blue/green and orange/yellow color morphs of field-collected D.

Induced release of a plant-defense volatile 'deceptively' attracts insect vectors to plants infected with a bacterial pathogen.

Transmission of plant pathogens by insect vectors is a complex biological process involving interactions between the plant, insect, and pathogen. Pathogen-induced plant responses can include changes in volatile and nonvolatile secondary metabolites as well as major plant nutrients. Experiments were conducted to understand how a plant pathogenic bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las), affects host preference behavior of its psyllid (Diaphorina citri Kuwayama) vector.

Sexual transmission of a plant pathogenic bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, between conspecific insect vectors during mating.

Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus is a fastidious, phloem-inhabiting, gram-negative bacterium transmitted by Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). The bacterium is the presumed causal agent of huanglongbing (HLB), one of the most destructive and economically important diseases of citrus. We investigated whether Las is transmitted between infected and uninfected D.

Insecticide resistance in field populations of Asian citrus psyllid in Florida.

Background: Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, is a major pest of citrus because it vectors the putative causal agent of huanglongbing disease. Insecticides are currently the basis of psyllid management programs, and the number of annual insecticide applications has increased significantly. In this paper, a series of investigations of insecticide resistance among field populations of adult and immature ACP in Florida is described.

Colonization of Lutzomyia shannoni (Diptera: Psychodidae) utilizing an artificial blood feeding technique.

Laboratory colonization of hematophagous insects must include an efficient method of blood feeding, preferably by artificial means. Strict rules for obtaining animal use permits, extensive animal maintenance costs, and indirect anesthesia effects on animal health warrant the development of an artificial membrane feeding technique for sand fly colonization in laboratories. An attempt was made to colonize Lutzomyia shannoni using an artificial blood feeding membrane to replace the use of live animals commonly used for sand fly blood-feeding purposes.

Insecticidal potency of novel compounds on multiple insect species of medical and veterinary importance.

Background: Vector-borne diseases continue to present significant threats to human, animal and plant health. Mosquitoes, houseflies, sand flies and stable flies are well-known vectors of several human and animal pathogens. The toxicity of selected semiochemicals with molecular structures indicative of insecticidal activity was determined against these insect species with the aim of developing novel insecticides toxic to multiple insect species.

Evaluation of semiochemical toxicity to houseflies and stable flies (Diptera: Muscidae).

Background: The housefly, Musca domestica L., and stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) are cosmopolitan pests of both farm and home environments.

The seasonal abundance of phlebotomine sand flies, Lutzomyia species in Florida.

The seasonality of phlebotomine sand flies was studied in Florida, utilizing colored light-emitting diode- and attractant-baited Mosquito Magnet MM-X traps from September 2006 to September 2008 at San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park, Gainesville, FL. A total of 6,278 sand flies were collected from 314 actual nights and 1,692 total trap-nights, yielding 3.7 sand flies per trap-night.

Evaluation of semiochemical toxicity to Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus and Anopheles quadrimaculatus (Diptera: Culicidae).

Background: Mosquitoes are the most important vectors of human pathogens. Wide-scale use of pesticides has led to the development of resistance to most common insecticide groups. The need to develop novel products that have a low impact on human health and the environment is well established.

Nicotinoid and pyrethroid insecticide resistance in houseflies (Diptera: Muscidae) collected from Florida dairies.

Background: The housefly, Musca domestica L., continues to be a major pest of confined livestock operations. Houseflies have developed resistance to most chemical classes, and new chemistries for use in animal agriculture are increasingly slow to emerge.

Monitoring neonicotinoid resistance in biotype B of Bemisia tabaci in Florida.

Background: Biotype B of the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.), is a worldwide pest that has developed resistance to many insecticides, including the neonicotinoid class. Florida field populations were monitored for susceptibility to the neonicotinoids imidacloprid and thiamethoxam using a cut leaf petiole bioassay method.

Lutzomyia spp. (Diptera: Psychodidae) response to olfactory attractant- and light emitting diode-modified Mosquito Magnet X (MM-X) traps.

Mosquito Magnet-X traps were modified for use with blue, green, red, and blue-green-red light-emitting diodes and olfactory attractants to determine the response of Lutzomyia shannoni (Dyar) and Lutzomyia vexator (Coquillett) (Diptera: Psychodidae) field populations to these attractants. Red and blue-green-red-baited traps captured the highest numbers of Lu. shannoni and Lu.