Monitoring mosquito populations is essential to designing and implementing control strategies. Recent strategies based on releasing biologically modified mosquitoes have increased the need to effectively monitor mosquito abundance. Unfortunately, existing surveillance traps are of limited value due to their high cost and low capture rates. Here, we report the results of experiments designed to evaluate the effectiveness of an acoustic trap prototype. Stimuli synthesized from recordings of Ae. aegypti wingbeat signals and pure tones were evaluated as attractants to males in indoor and semi-field conditions. Overall, the acoustic trap´s efficacy differed significantly between indoor and semi-field conditions. After two hours of indoor recapture, ∼69% of males were collected from acoustic traps broadcasting pure tones while ∼78% of males were collected using synthesized wingbeat signals. Under semi-field conditions, however, acoustic traps collected less than ∼1.7% of the males released. Increasing the intensity of the signals up to 90 dB (SPL re. 20 uPa at 1 m from the trap) did not improve the capture rate under semi-field conditions. Overall, our results indicate that acoustic signals synthesized from recordings of wingbeats can be used to enhance capture of male Ae. aegypti.
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Sci Rep
December 2024
Laboratório de Entomologia e Fitopatologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, 28013-602, Brazil.
The virulence of encapsulated fungal conidia against Aedes aegypti larvae was investigated. Molecular studies confirmed that the fungal isolate used here was Beauveria bassiana. Different conidial concentrations were tested.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Lett
November 2024
Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
In social insects, individuals of working caste coordinate their actions to manage various collective tasks. Such collective behaviours exist not only in workers but also in winged reproductives (alates). During certain seasons, newly emerged alates fly from the nest to disperse and find mating partners in a synchronized manner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
November 2024
City of Scientific Research and Technology Applications, Arid Lands Cultivations Research Institute, New Borg El-Arab, 21934, Alexandria, Egypt.
The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), is a significant pest threatening crops like maize across Africa, necessitating sustainable pest management alternatives. This study evaluates the efficacy of Trichogramma evanescens as a biological control agent against FAW egg masses in Egypt under laboratory and semi-field conditions. FAW larvae were initially collected from infested maize fields and reared on castor-oil plant leaves.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Pollut
December 2024
Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.
Fungicides may interact synergistically with insecticides. However, our understanding of the impacts of sublethal insecticide-fungicide combinations on solitary bees is mostly restricted to laboratory studies, providing no information about potential consequences on behavior and reproductive success. We analyzed the effects of a fungicide application, alone and in combination with sublethal levels of an insecticide, on the nesting behavior and reproductive output of the solitary bee Osmia cornuta.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Invertebr Pathol
November 2024
Laboratório de Patologia de Invertebrados, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
Drosophila suzukii is an invasive pest of berries and other soft-skinned fruits, was first detected in Chile in 2017, and has since spread over 2,800 km from north to south. Sustainable control of the spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) is essential due the negative attitude of the consumers toward the excessive use of insecticides. During a survey in Chile for biological control agents, thirty-two isolates of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) were isolated from mycotized insects and soil samples, identified through sequence analysis, and tested against D.
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