Assessment of non-target toxicity of insecticides on Ganaspis brasiliensis (Ihering) in laboratory and field conditions.

Background: G1 strain Ganaspis brasiliensis (Ihering) has been recently released in both Europe and America as a biological control agent of the spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura). In initial phases of classical biological control programs, it becomes imperative to evaluate the susceptibility of parasitoids to insecticides, to identify the best alternatives to adopt in an integrated pest management and organic perspective. In this study, we evaluated lethal and sublethal effects of topical application of five different insecticides classes: neonicotinoids, diamides, pyrethroids, organophosphates and spinosyns.

Factors influencing short-term parasitoid establishment and efficacy for the biological control of Halyomorpha halys with the samurai wasp Trissolcus japonicus.

Background: Classical biological control has been identified as the most promising approach to limit the impact of the invasive pest species Halyomorpha halys (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). This study investigated the parasitism rate at sites where the biocontrol agent Trissolcus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) was released and where its unintentional introduction took place, in the Trentino-South Tyrol region. The effect of land-use composition was studied to understand which factors favor the establishment of hosts and parasitoids, including native and exotic species.

Electrophysiologically Determined Spectral Responses in Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae).

Electrophysiological methods were used to test the visual sensitivity of European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to wavelengths ranging from 300 to 700 nm. For male and females tested, a main, peak response occurred in the 460-540 nm range (blue-green wavelengths) with females having a generally lower response to wavelengths in that range. A second smaller peak was observed for both sexes at the 340-420 nm range.