{"title":"Detecting Thrips parvispinus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in retail plant stores in Southern California.","authors":"Eric G Middleton, Nayeli Lee","doi":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag105","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag105","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Thrips parvispinus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae: Karny) is an invasive pest that harms peppers and ornamentals. It has not been reported as present in Southern California but has a history of establishing in regions prior to official detection. We surveyed retail garden stores in San Diego and Orange Counties to determine if T. parvispinus was present in California but undetected, and found it on Capsicum, Dipladenia, Mandevilla, and Gardenia species across a year-long period. Our work demonstrates that T. parvispinus can spread to new areas undetected on nursery stock and validates sampling retail stores as a low-effort early detection method that can be used by researchers and regulators to find T. parvispinus on nursery stock.</p>","PeriodicalId":16156,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Science","volume":"26 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13555620/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148912225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chad M Rigsby, Christopher B Riley, Jeremy D Slone, Margaret C Marshall, Amber R Stiller, Jessie J Ward, Kevin D Chase
{"title":"The deployment of semiochemical-based pest management tools for woody plants in managed residential and commercial landscapes: current status, challenges, and future directions.","authors":"Chad M Rigsby, Christopher B Riley, Jeremy D Slone, Margaret C Marshall, Amber R Stiller, Jessie J Ward, Kevin D Chase","doi":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag109","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag109","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Managed residential and commercial landscapes are primarily managed for aesthetic purposes or to provide social benefits (e.g. shade). These landscapes, and the woody plants that comprise them, exist in environments that pose unique challenges for the management of pests, such as the discontinuous nature and patchiness of habitat and hosts, abiotic conditions that result in plant stress, and the existence of ecologically arbitrary but legally meaningful boundaries. Due to challenges like these and other factors, plant health care managers have heavily relied upon traditional pesticides for decades, but with the legal and cultural dynamics surrounding traditional pesticides changing in many parts of the world, novel strategies need development. While semiochemical-based pest management strategies offer an enticing alternative (or supplement) to traditional pesticides and have been in use for many years in these landscapes, they have primarily been developed for use in very different environments, such as forestry plantations, orchards, and natural forests, that have very different biological and spatial dynamics. In this paper, we discuss the factors that make semiochemical pest management in residential and commercial landscapes different from others, case studies of what semiochemical strategies have worked, and what semiochemical research should be conducted going forward that allows the green industry to adopt semiochemical tools into an integrated pest management program.</p>","PeriodicalId":16156,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Science","volume":"26 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13585448/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148990333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adaptive changes in behavioral and physiological traits during worker-reproductive transition in Reticulitermes chinensis (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae).","authors":"Yalin Xiao, Huan Wang, Xin Peng, Yonghui Wang, Xinyue Li, Yanan Dong","doi":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag094","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag094","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The differentiation of workers into supplementary reproductives (ergatoids) is an important component of reproductive plasticity in termites, but the behavioral and physiological changes accompanying this transition remain incompletely understood. We used Reticulitermes chinensis (Snyder) to examine allogrooming, locomotor behavior, egg production, enzyme activity, and gene expression during the worker-to-ergatoid transition. The first ergatoids appeared within 2 days after orphaning, and female ergatoids outnumbered male ergatoids. Ergatoids that survived to the end of the observation period differentiated earlier than those that did not. Compared with workers, ergatoids received more grooming, gave less grooming, and showed lower locomotor velocity, shorter distance traveled, and reduced moving time. Total egg number was positively associated with the body mass of the largest female ergatoid and with the number of surviving workers, but not with the number of female ergatoid reproductives. Catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and acid phosphatase (ACP) activities were higher in ergatoids than in workers. Based on biological replicate means, gene-expression analyses showed higher CAT expression in both ergatoid sexes, higher SOD expression in female ergatoids, and a female-biased ACP expression pattern. These results describe behavioral and physiological changes associated with reproductive transition in laboratory groups of R. chinensis.</p>","PeriodicalId":16156,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Science","volume":"26 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13545756/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148897299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David Chung-Te Cheng, Dezene P W Huber, Amanda D Roe, Akito Y Kawahara
{"title":"Diversity of swimming behavior in larval Lepidoptera.","authors":"David Chung-Te Cheng, Dezene P W Huber, Amanda D Roe, Akito Y Kawahara","doi":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag100","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lepidoptera are a highly diverse lineage of predominantly terrestrial insects, yet their larvae occupy diverse habitats where they may experience unexpected contact with water or accidental submersion. Such exposure may have favored adaptations that enable terrestrial lepidopteran larvae to survive underwater for short periods. Using a combination of personal and crowd-sourced observations, we document a striking diversity of behaviors displayed by Lepidoptera (32 species across 16 families) when suddenly exposed to water. This includes swimming, which we observed in 4 lepidopteran families. We developed a behavioral ontology comprising 9 distinct behaviors and 5 non-directional behaviors, each observed on the water surface. Our study highlights a largely overlooked dimension of Lepidoptera biology and establishes a framework for future research on the significance of this behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":16156,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Science","volume":"26 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13585396/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148990317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the multigenerational effects of Lippia adoensis (Lamiales: Verbenaceae) essential oil and Dichlorvos on Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) life-history traits and gene expression.","authors":"Mazarin Akami, Wei Jiang, Bingbing Wei, Ousman Tamgue, Cabrel Bafong Ngueya, Diane Pocssie Samenoug, Francioli Koro Koro, Rosalie Annie Ngono Ngane, Nicolas Njintang Yanou, Elias Nchiwan Nukenine, Baolei Jia, Yanlai Yao, Chang-Ying Niu","doi":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag107","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag107","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), is a major stored-product pest. Resistance to synthetic insecticides such as dichlorvos (DDVP) has prompted interest in alternatives with distinct modes of action. This study compared multigenerational transcriptional responses of C. maculatus to DDVP and the botanical insecticide Lippia adoensis (Hochst. ex Walp.) (Lamiales: Verbenaceae) essential oil (EO). DDVP exposure was associated with progressive fitness recovery across generations, together with upregulated expression of detoxification-related genes (e.g. Cyp6g1-2, Cyp6g1-3, Gst, Est2, Pod) and cholesterol metabolism-related genes (e.g. Dhcr24-1, Dhcr24-3). In contrast, L. adoensis EO was associated with consistently higher mortality and did not elicit comparable transcriptional changes in these gene sets. Clustering patterns placed EO-treated populations closer to controls, with less evidence of the DDVP-associated expression pattern. An antagonistic index comparing treatment-related fold changes indicated an opposing transcriptional relationship between EO and DDVP. Overall, the findings are consistent with L. adoensis EO acting without inducing the DDVP-associated detoxification expression pattern, suggesting a distinct transcriptional profile that may inform botanical-based approaches to pest management.</p>","PeriodicalId":16156,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Science","volume":"26 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13623516/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149081108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dawson E Christensen, Yoonseong Park, Travis W Rusch, Erin D Scully, Alison R Gerken
{"title":"Short-term cold acclimation influences Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) mobility in different temperatures.","authors":"Dawson E Christensen, Yoonseong Park, Travis W Rusch, Erin D Scully, Alison R Gerken","doi":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag072","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag072","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Stored product insects threaten global food security, yet their ecology remains largely understudied. The lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica F. (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), is among the most damaging pests of stored grain. Because locomotion underpins resource and mate finding, impaired movement can reduce colonization success. While cold storage is an effective management strategy, insects may counter these measures through adaptive responses, such as acclimating to low temperatures. Changes in seasonal patterns can increase opportunities for acclimation, and misapplied treatments may reduce the efficacy of temperature-based pest control. To examine behavioral effects of acclimation, we quantified walking of R. dominica across 2 strains (lab and wild), sexes, and acclimation treatments (18 °C for 24 h vs no acclimation) at 10, 20, and 30 °C. Distances moved and proportions of immobile and high-mobility events were recorded for 1 h. Movement increased with temperature in all treatments. At 10 °C, acclimated R. dominica moved farther, had fewer immobile events, and more high-mobility events than those in the non-acclimated treatment, whereas at 20 and 30 °C, the patterns reversed. Females and lab strain R. dominica moved more than male and wild strain counterparts in all temperatures, with females showing higher activity at 20 and 30 °C and lab strain only at 30 °C. These results indicate that short-term cold acclimation enhances locomotion at low temperatures while suppressing movement at higher temperatures, with effects further modulated by sex and strain. Furthermore, the findings emphasize the need for careful application and monitoring of cold storage protocols to maintain effective grain protection.</p>","PeriodicalId":16156,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Science","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13399783/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148584393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Longevity as a quality control metric for male Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae): does test design matter?","authors":"Hanano Yamada, Claudia Martina, Patindé Didier Alexandre Kaboré, Yiquan Cai, Wadaka Mamai, Hamidou Maiga, Jérémy Bouyer, Chantel Janet de Beer","doi":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag078","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag078","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In mosquito Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) programs, adult male longevity is widely used as a quality control (QC) indicator for process monitoring and post-treatment assessment. However, longevity assays are frequently implemented using non-standardized protocols, limiting their comparability and operational interpretation. In this study, we evaluated whether and how key assay design parameters influence measured longevity and the ability of longevity-based tests to detect high dose irradiation related quality effects in male Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762). Using a factorial cage-based design, we assessed the effects of adult holding density, female presence, and observation period on male survival under standard holding conditions. Increasing density reduced male survival, primarily reflecting an assay-related stress effect. Irradiation consistently reduced longevity across all experimental conditions, while female presence imposed additional survival costs under some conditions. Combined high-density and mixed-sex environments produced the lowest overall survival but did not disproportionately amplify irradiation related effects. We also evaluated a rapid acute-stress assay conducted without access to sugar or water. Treatment-related differences were detectable during the early stages of the assay but diminished as mortality approached saturation, demonstrating that rapid stress assays are highly dependent on the timing of assessment. Together, these findings demonstrate that longevity-based QC indicators can be strongly influenced by experimental design and must be applied under standardized and purpose-specific conditions. Rapid stress assays can support routine SIT QC as targeted screening tools, but they require prior calibration and should not be considered universal proxies of overall male quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":16156,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Science","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13424442/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148630490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Viral influence on chemical communication in eusocial insects: insights and emerging research priorities.","authors":"Bashiru Adams, Natraj Krishnan, Esmaeil Amiri, Jian Chen","doi":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag063","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag063","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chemical communication in eusocial insects is crucial for colony survival and adaptation to diverse environmental conditions, contributing significantly to their evolutionary success. Pheromones, produced mainly by exocrine glands, serve as the primary means of communication among colony members. They coordinate complex social behaviors, including foraging, queen recognition, brood care, alarm signaling, and colony defense. Proper pheromone function is therefore essential for maintaining colony cohesion and efficiency. However, pathogens, particularly viruses, can influence pheromone-mediated communication through 2 main mechanisms: by altering pheromone production or by impairing pheromone perception. The impacts of viruses on exocrine glands and pheromone production have been well documented in several nonsocial insect species. Although evidence is growing for the effects of viruses on pheromone-mediated behaviors in eusocial insects, the underlying mechanisms linking viruses and pheromone signaling remain poorly understood. Here, we review current knowledge on how viral infections influence chemical communication in 2 ecologically important, eusocial insects: the honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758), a nectar and pollen feeder, valued for its pollination services and honey production, and the fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren, 1972), an omnivore and notorious invasive pest. We further explore the ecological implications of virus-eusocial insect interactions and discuss their consequences for pollinator and pest management. Additionally, we identify knowledge gaps and highlight future research directions that could enhance our understanding of virus-pheromone dependencies. By examining these complex interactions through a chemical ecology perspective, we aim to advance the understanding of viral ecology and contribute to the development of management strategies that improve honey bee health and enable sustainable fire ant control.</p>","PeriodicalId":16156,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Science","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13458590/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148562272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura Garita, Ana Mariel Zúñiga-Pereira, Andrés Arias-Paco, William Villalobos, Sofia Carvajal-Rojas, Jose Pablo Álvarez-Mora, Luis Enrique Chaves-González, Isaías Abdallah, Carolina Godoy, Phyllis G Weintraub, Mauricio Montero-Astúa, Carlos Chacón-Díaz
{"title":"Confirmation of Xylella fastidiosa (Lysobacterales: Lysobacteraceae) transmission by 8 leafhopper species present in coffee plantations in Costa Rica.","authors":"Laura Garita, Ana Mariel Zúñiga-Pereira, Andrés Arias-Paco, William Villalobos, Sofia Carvajal-Rojas, Jose Pablo Álvarez-Mora, Luis Enrique Chaves-González, Isaías Abdallah, Carolina Godoy, Phyllis G Weintraub, Mauricio Montero-Astúa, Carlos Chacón-Díaz","doi":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag068","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag068","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al. 1987 is a vector-transmitted plant pathogen of economic importance that is widespread throughout coffee plantations in Costa Rica. Previous studies have shown the existence of a broad diversity of leafhoppers present in different coffee producing regions in Costa Rica. The presence of leafhoppers in coffee plantations with the presence of X. fastidiosa poses their role as potential vectors. To our knowledge, the vector status of leafhoppers present in coffee plantations in Costa Rica has remained unsettled. This work confirmed 8 species of leafhoppers as vectors of X. fastidiosa related to coffee in Costa Rica. Insects were collected in field in the northern part of the Costa Rican Central Valley, and leafhoppers were identified, classified, and grouped for further analysis. All the confirmed vector species belong to the subfamily Cicadellinae (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha), known as sharpshooters. The ability of these specimens to survive on coffee plants for a 72-h period was assessed. In planta transmission assays were performed on X. fastidiosa-free coffee plants under greenhouse conditions. X. fastidiosa was detected in plants after one and a half years, confirming the vector status of leafhoppers. Positive plants remained asymptomatic throughout the experiment. The implication of these species as vectors strengthens surveillance actions in local and international contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":16156,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Science","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13331132/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148382092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lingling Long, Dong Jin, Hongshuai Gao, Qiao Gao, Wenbing Ding, Lin Qiu, Youzhi Li, Hualiang He
{"title":"Identification of the core region responsible for the activity of CmVg promoter and its regulatory transcription factor BrC in Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).","authors":"Lingling Long, Dong Jin, Hongshuai Gao, Qiao Gao, Wenbing Ding, Lin Qiu, Youzhi Li, Hualiang He","doi":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag057","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jisesa/ieag057","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Insect reproduction depends critically on vitellogenesis, during which vitellogenin (Vg) is synthesized in the female fat body and incorporated into developing oocytes as an essential nutrient source. In this study, the promoter region of the vitellogenin gene (CmVg) of the rice leaf folder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) was predicted and cloned. A core active region was delineated within the CmVg promoter, and bioinformatic analysis revealed several predicted cis‑regulatory elements (CREs) for Broad‑Complex (BrC) transcription factors in the core region. Among four BrC protein candidates in the genome of C. medinalis, Cmed074000.1 significantly enhanced the transcriptional activity of CmVg. Disruption of the CRE of Cmed074000.1 strongly reduced the expression level of the reporter. Moreover, RNA interference-mediated knockdown of Cmed074000.1 in adult females significantly down‑regulated CmVg transcriptional levels and severely impaired egg production by 62.24%. This work provides the first evidence of a transcriptional pathway controlling CmVg expression in this pest, C. medinalis, offering novel insights into its reproductive biology and highlighting a potential target for future pest‑management strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":16156,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Insect Science","volume":"26 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13386126/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148535943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}