Attracting Scelionidae egg parasitoids to enhance stink bug egg parasitisation in soybean crops using methyl salicylate and (E,E)-α-farnesene.

Background: Plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play a crucial role in mediating interactions between plants, herbivores and natural enemies. Among these VOCs, methyl salicylate and (E,E)-α-farnesene are emitted as herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) by soybean plants in response to feeding by the brown stink bug Eushistus heros. These HIPVs function as synomones, influencing the foraging behaviour of the egg parasitoid, Telenomus podisi, the main natural enemy of E.

Acclimatization and Foraging of Native Brazilian Stingless Bees in Arenas with Covering Materials of Different Spectral Properties.

The use of Meliponini for crop pollination in protected environments is practically non-existent. One of the reasons is the difficulty of acclimatizing Meliponini to the temperature and light conditions inside greenhouses. We investigated how covering materials used in greenhouses, which filter different intensities of ultraviolet (UV) light, affect the foraging behaviors, flight orientation, attraction to walls and ceilings, and mortality of Scaptotrigona cf.

The multispecies stinkbug iflavirus Halyomorpha halys virus detected in the multispecies stinkbug egg parasitoid microwasp, Telenomus podisi (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae).

Wasps are important parasitoids of stinkbugs and frequently exposed to various types of microorganisms through environmental contact and fecal-oral transmission route. Many parasitize stinkbug eggs and are commercially used in the field to control insect population. The parasitoid T.

Protective Geometry and Reproductive Anatomy as Candidate Determinants of Clutch Size Variation in Pentatomid Bugs.

AbstractMany animals lay their eggs in clusters. Eggs on the periphery of clusters can be at higher risk of mortality. We asked whether the most commonly occurring clutch sizes in pentatomid bugs could result from geometrical arrangements that maximize the proportion of eggs in the cluster's interior.

Parasitoids of Drosophilids in the Brazilian Savanna: Spatial-temporal Distribution and Host Associations with Native and Exotic Species.

Host-parasitoid interactions may have a relevant role not only in ecological processes but also in human procedures such as biological control and the management of invasive species. Although the Drosophila-parasitoid system has been widely used for investigating all aspects of host-parasitoid relationships, it is still poorly understood in tropical areas. Here, we investigate the richness, spatial-temporal distribution, and host associations of parasitoids attacking drosophilid flies in the core region of the Brazilian Savanna, a hotspot of biodiversity.

Companion and Smart Plants: Scientific Background to Promote Conservation Biological Control.

To attain sustainable agricultural crop protection, tools such as host plant resistance, enhanced ecosystem services (i.e. conserving natural enemies) and the deployment of companion plants should be promoted in pest management programmes.

Stink Bug Communication and Signal Detection in a Plant Environment.

Plants influenced the evolution of plant-dwelling stink bugs' systems underlying communication with chemical and substrate-borne vibratory signals. Plant volatiles provides cues that increase attractiveness or interfere with the probability of finding a mate in the field. Mechanical properties of herbaceous hosts and associated plants alter the frequency, amplitude, and temporal characteristics of stink bug species and sex-specific vibratory signals.

Inhibitory Copulation Effect of Vibrational Rival Female Signals of Three Stink Bug Species as a Tool for Mating Disruption.

Stink bugs are major pests in diverse crops around the world. Pest management strategies based on insect behavioral manipulation could help to develop biorational management strategies of stink bugs. Insect mating disruption using vibratory signals is an approach with high potential for pest management.

Field Responses of Rice Stalk Stink Bug, Tibraca limbativentris, to Synthetic Sex Pheromone and Isomers of 1,10-Bisaboladien-3-ol.

The rice stalk stink bug, Tibraca limbativentris Stål, is an important rice pest in Brazil, causing significant damage to rice plants and consequently yield losses, with a high invasive potential in Mexico and USA. The male-produced sex pheromone of this species was recently identified as a 7:3 mixture of (3S,6S,7R)-1,10-bisaboladien-3-ol (1) and (3R,6S,7R)-1,10-bisaboladien-3-ol (5) (a.k.

Inefficient weapon-the role of plant secondary metabolites in cotton defence against the boll weevil.

Cotton genotypes displayed similar volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles, but major differences in terpenoid aldehyde (TA) content. The differences in VOC production were minor among genotypes, but these differences are crucial for boll weevil attraction. Weevils did not display any preference in feeding behaviour towards cotton genotypes, suggesting physiological adaptation to cope with cotton chemical defence mechanisms.

Female competition for availability of males in insects: the Nezara viridula (Linnaeus, 1758) model.

Multimodal communication in solitary stinkbugs enables them to meet, mate and copulate. Many plant-dwelling species exchange information during the calling phase of mating behavior using substrate-borne vibratory signals. A female-biased gender ratio induces rivalry and competition for a sexual partner.

Anthonomus grandis aggregation pheromone induces cotton indirect defence and attracts the parasitic wasp Bracon vulgaris.

Insect-derived volatiles seem to provide reliable chemical cues that plants could employ to defend themselves. Here we investigated the effect of pheromone emission from a closely associated (Anthonomus grandis; boll weevil) and an unassociated (Tibraca limbativentris) herbivore on cotton volatile emission. Exposure to A.

Diversity of Stink Bug Adults and Their Parasitoids in Soybean Crops in Brazil: Influence of a Latitudinal Gradient and Insecticide Application Intensity.

Over the last 50 yr, the geographical distribution of soybean crop production in Brazil has expanded from the southern region to Maranhão state in the north. We evaluated if this latitudinal expansion affected the community of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and their parasitoids. The fauna of stink bugs and their adult parasitoids were studied in nine soybean production regions in Brazil.

Development of pull and push-pull systems for management of lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus, in poultry houses using alarm and aggregation pheromones.

Background: The lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is the most important insect pest affecting poultry production around the world, with all life stages being susceptible to infection by bacteria, viruses and fungi. Control of A. diaperinus in poultry houses using intensive insecticide application is not effective due to the cryptic behaviour of this pest.

Attractiveness of Host Plant Volatile Extracts to the Asian Citrus Psyllid, Diaphorina citri, is Reduced by Terpenoids from the Non-Host Cashew.

Diaphorina citri is a vector of the bacterial causative agent of Huanglongbing (HLB = Citrus greening), a severe disease affecting citrus crops. As there is no known control for HLB, manipulating insect behaviour through deployment of semiochemicals offers a promising opportunity for protecting citrus crops. The behavioural responses of D.

Revisiting the Male-Produced Aggregation Pheromone of the Lesser Mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae): Identification of a Six-Component Pheromone from a Brazilian Population.

The lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus Panzer 1797 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is a cosmopolitan insect pest affecting poultry production. Due to its cryptic behavior, insecticide control is usually not efficient. Thus, sustainable and effective methods would have an enormous and positive impact in poultry production.

Current knowledge of the species complex Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera, Tephritidae) in Brazil.

The study of the species complex Anastrepha fraterculus (Af complex) in Brazil is especially important in a taxonomical, evolutionary and pest management context, because there are evidences that some of them may occur in sympatry. In this review, we analyzed the main results supporting evidences that three cryptic species occur in Brazil. The taxonomical and phylogenetic relationships based on eggshell morphology, adult morphometrics, as well as cytotaxonomy and genetic differentiations are discussed.

The fungistatic and fungicidal effects of volatiles from metathoracic glands of soybean-attacking stink bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) on the entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana.

This study was initially designed to evaluate the differential susceptibility of three soybean-attacking pentatomids to the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana in standardized bioassays. Euschistus heros (Eh) was shown to be significantly less susceptible than Chinavia ubica (Cu), whereas Dichelops melacanthus (Dm) adults were highly susceptible to fungal infections. A deeper look at the mechanisms involved in the possible role of volatiles from metathoracic glands on fungal infections was undertaken, and gland extracts from Nezara viridula (Nv), a species known for its resilience to fungal infections, were also included in the assays.

Transcriptome-Based Identification of Highly Similar Odorant-Binding Proteins among Neotropical Stink Bugs and Their Egg Parasitoid.

Olfaction plays a fundamental role in insect survival through resource location and intra and interspecific communications. We used RNA-Seq to analyze transcriptomes for odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) from major stink bug pest species in Brazil, Euschistus heros, Chinavia ubica, and Dichelops melacanthus, and from their egg parasitoid, Telenomus podisi. We identified 23 OBPs in E.

Interference of Overlapping Insect Vibratory Communication Signals: An Eushistus heros Model.

Plants limit the range of insect substrate-borne vibratory communication by their architecture and mechanical properties that change transmitted signal time, amplitude and frequency characteristics. Stinkbugs gain higher signal-to-noise ratio and increase communication distance by emitting narrowband low frequency vibratory signals that are tuned with transmission properties of plants. The objective of the present study was to investigate hitherto overlooked consequences of duetting with mutually overlapped narrowband vibratory signals.

Wing Morphometry and Acoustic Signals in Sterile and Wild Males: Implications for Mating Success in Ceratitis capitata.

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is widely utilized in the biological control of fruit flies of the family Tephritidae, particularly against the Mediterranean fruit fly. This study investigated the interaction between mating success and morphometric variation in the wings and the production of acoustic signals among three male groups of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann): (1) wild males, (2) irradiated with Co-60 (steriles), and (3) irradiated (steriles) and treated with ginger oil. The canonical variate analysis discriminated two groups (males irradiated and males wild), based on the morphological shape of the wings.

Zingiberenol, (1R,4R,1′S)‑4-(1′,5′-Dimethylhex-4′-enyl)-1-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-ol, identified as the sex pheromone produced by males of the rice stink bug Oebalus poecilus (heteroptera: pentatomidae).

Bioassays using an olfactometer showed that Oebalus poecilus males produce the sexual pheromone, and the chemical analysis demonstrated that this compound is zingiberenol. Two groups of isomers, each containing four diastereoisomers, (1RS,4RS,1'S)- and (1RS,4RS,1'R)-zingiberenol, were prepared. These diastereoisomers were not separated on a chiral GC column.

Lethal and sublethal effects of four essential oils on the egg parasitoids Trissolcus basalis.

The essential oils from leaves of Schinus molle var. areira, Aloysia citriodora, Origanum vulgare and Thymus vulgaris have showed potential as phytoinsecticides against the green stink bug, Nezara viridula. In this work were evaluated their toxicological and behavioral effects on the parasitoid Trissolcus basalis, a biological control agent of this pest insect.