Giovanni Dal Zotto, Thibault P M Costaz, Gabriele Pesavento, Klaas van Rozen, Herman H M Helsen, Paola Gotta, Beniamino Cavagna, Mariangela Ciampitti, Nicola Mori
{"title":"Effectiveness of mulches in preventing Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) oviposition in nursery potted plants.","authors":"Giovanni Dal Zotto, Thibault P M Costaz, Gabriele Pesavento, Klaas van Rozen, Herman H M Helsen, Paola Gotta, Beniamino Cavagna, Mariangela Ciampitti, Nicola Mori","doi":"10.1093/jee/toaf106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaf106","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a priority quarantine pest of the European Union that can pose an economic threat to certain agricultural activities. When female beetles have a choice, container substrates are not the preferred or suitable oviposition sites; however, plant nurseries are a potential pathway for spreading the pest. For this reason, producers must abide by restrictive measures to guarantee P. japonica-free plants, leading to major restrictions on their commercial activities. An innovative and sustainable approach to P. japonica control involves the application of a mulch layer to potted plants to physically prevent beetle oviposition. A choice test compared the effectiveness of 13 mulching materials in preventing P. japonica oviposition and the influence of soil moisture on egg laying. Additionally, for 10 of these materials, the role of mulch physical properties in preventing oviposition in potted plants was assessed in a no-choice test. The survey demonstrated that mulching can significantly reduce the risk of P. japonica's oviposition in container substrates. Mulches with higher specific weights, such as gravel and lapilli pebbles, achieved greater control. Soil moisture influenced P. japonica oviposition, with higher moisture levels leading to increased egg laying. The application of suitable mulches represents an effective phytosanitary measure to improve the sustainable management of P. japonica in nurseries.</p>","PeriodicalId":94077,"journal":{"name":"Journal of economic entomology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144287662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Large-scale elimination of subterranean termite colonies of the genus Reticulitermes (Blattodea: Heterotermitidae) from town centers in Spain.","authors":"David Mora, David Hernández-Teixidor","doi":"10.1093/jee/toaf039","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jee/toaf039","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reticulitermes grassei Clément and R. banyulensis Clément are native termites of the Iberian Peninsula and are considered harmful pests in several places. Subterranean termites cause severe damage to wooden structures around the world. In Spain, wood is used in traditional construction, and many town centers feature such architecture. The presence of these pests is often overlooked until the damage becomes considerable over a large area. Baiting with a chitin-synthesis inhibitor is the only option to eliminate all termite colonies over large areas. Here, data are assessed on the area-wide management of Reticulitermes species in 5 town centers in Spain, after implementing a bait system with 0.5% hexaflumuron for 5 years. Our protocol included an initial survey, treatment with hexaflumuron baits, and a post-bait monitoring program. Our results showed that all detectable termite colonies affecting urban areas of 23,000-170,500 m2 were eliminated using the protocol described. This was achieved with a minimal amount of hexaflumuron (58 and 190 g), in less than 1 year on average (7-16 months) in warm dry southern and damp northern areas. The number of stations used ranged from 509 to 1,417 for each treatment area, of which 7.83% and 39% had termite activity. Following the treatments, termite activity has been absent in treated areas for more than 10 years. Our studies confirmed that it is possible to eliminate subterranean termite populations of the genus Reticulitermes from large areas in Europe using hexaflumuron baits and achieving long-term termite-free zones is feasible.</p>","PeriodicalId":94077,"journal":{"name":"Journal of economic entomology","volume":" ","pages":"982-996"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12167851/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143560316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Termite baiting-how it changed the landscape of the pest management industry and termite research in Southeast Asia.","authors":"Chow-Yang Lee, Shao-Hung Dennis Lee","doi":"10.1093/jee/toaf081","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jee/toaf081","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The management of subterranean termite pests remains a major challenge in Southeast Asia, where these pests cause significant structural and economic damage. Termite baiting has emerged as an effective option to conventional soil termiticides, offering a safer pest management approach with reduced chemical input into the environment. In this paper, we review the history of termite research in Southeast Asia, highlighting the turning points of termite research, from agriculture and plantations to buildings and structures, and the transformative impact of termite baiting on the pest management industry in the region over the last 25 yr. We also discuss the outcome of a survey of pest management professionals on their baiting practices, bait performance, and reinfestation rates. All bait products eliminated termite colonies. There were significant differences in terms of the baiting period to colony elimination, with Xterm outperforming Sentricon, Exterra, and Exterminex. Above-ground (AG) baiting was preferred over in-ground (IG) baiting due to construction constraints and low IG station interception rates. While bait effectively controlled Coptotermes spp., challenges persist in managing fungus-growing termites such as Macrotermes gilvus Hagen. Reinfestation occurred in < 10% of baited premises.</p>","PeriodicalId":94077,"journal":{"name":"Journal of economic entomology","volume":" ","pages":"1029-1037"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12167846/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144061102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaluating the establishment potential of cabbage stem flea beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and pollen beetle (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) in canola-growing regions of North America using ensemble species distribution models.","authors":"Debra L Wertman, Vivek Srivastava, Tyler J Wist","doi":"10.1093/jee/toaf071","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jee/toaf071","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cabbage stem flea beetle, Psylliodes chrysocephala (Linnaeus 1758), and pollen beetle, Brassicogethes viridescens (Fabricius 1787), are pests of oilseed rape [Brassica spp. (Brassicales: Brassicaceae)] crops in Europe and pose a potential threat to canola production in North America. We used species occurrence and environmental data to develop ensemble species distribution models describing P. chrysocephala and B. viridescens habitat suitability, creating risk maps for either species under current (1981-2010; globally) and future [2011-2040 and 2041-2070, across 2 IPCC Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs); North America only] environmental conditions. Projections for both species show improvement in northern North American habitat suitability under either SSP over time. Crop dominance was the most important predictor of suitable habitat for both species, followed by mean annual temperature range, precipitation metrics, and elevation (P. chrysocephala only). Risk maps for P. chrysocephala show broad habitat suitability, increasing under future scenarios, for this insect if it becomes introduced to North America; however, a phenological mismatch between P. chrysocephala, which specializes on winter oilseed rape (WOSR) in Europe, and spring oilseed rape (SOSR) would likely inhibit the long-term persistence of this insect in central North America. For B. viridescens, which impacts SOSR in Europe and is present in northeastern North America, predictive maps show increased risk in discontinuous patches across central North America that improve in suitability over time. While SOSR-cropping systems in central North America are environmentally suitable for both P. chrysocephala and B. viridescens, the establishment potential of these species may depend upon future sowing practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":94077,"journal":{"name":"Journal of economic entomology","volume":" ","pages":"1281-1296"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12167857/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144059221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicholas A Poulos, Chow-Yang Lee, Michael K Rust, Dong-Hwan Choe
{"title":"Toxicity and horizontal transfer of chitin synthesis inhibitors in the western drywood termite (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae).","authors":"Nicholas A Poulos, Chow-Yang Lee, Michael K Rust, Dong-Hwan Choe","doi":"10.1093/jee/toaf064","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jee/toaf064","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Three chitin synthesis inhibitors (CSIs), bistrifluron, chlorfluazuron, and noviflumuron, were evaluated for their toxicity and horizontal transfer against the western drywood termite, Incisitermes minor (Hagen), when used to treat wood. In a no-choice bioassay, bistrifluron provided significantly faster kill than chlorfluazuron or noviflumuron treatments at 0.1 and 0.5% (wt/wt) rates over a 60-d period, providing 99% mortality. In a choice bioassay using 0.1% rate, bistrifluron provided a significantly faster kill than chlorfluazuron or noviflumuron treatments over a 60-d period, resulting in 96% mortality. In a transfer bioassay, a group of bistrifluron-fed termites, donors (D), was placed with a group of unexposed nestmates, recipients (R). Based on the visual marking, the food material of the donor termites was readily transferred to the recipients within 24 to 48 h. Overall, survival curves were similar between 1:19 (5% donor) and 10:10 (50% donor) D:R ratios, resulting in 100% mortality by day 90. This result indicated that lethal doses of bistrifluron were retained and effectively transferred, even from limited numbers of termites that originally ingested the compound. Implications for drywood termite management and future development are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":94077,"journal":{"name":"Journal of economic entomology","volume":" ","pages":"1373-1381"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143665715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The potential of 20-hydroxyecdysone to accelerate termite baiting programs.","authors":"Sang-Bin Lee, Nan-Yao Su","doi":"10.1093/jee/toaf052","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jee/toaf052","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While chitin synthesis inhibitor baits are environmentally friendly and sustainable measures to control subterranean termites compared to conventional termiticides, the lengthy time required to eliminate a termite colony is perceived as a drawback for both homeowners and pest control industry. Recent efforts have focused on overcoming such problem by accelerating the baiting process. To accelerate termite colony elimination, 20-hydroxyecdysone was proposed as a potential active ingredient due to its similar mode of action observed in chitin synthesis inhibitors. Termites ingesting 20-hydroxyecdysone displayed hyperecdysonism, and mortality occurred much faster than with chitin synthesis inhibitor-ingesting termites. However, trial with 20-hydroxyecdysone alone and 20-hydroxyecdysone mixed with noviflumuron baits with intact colonies of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki failed to accelerate the colony elimination time due to the feeding cessation. To bypass this issue, lower concentrations of 20-hydroxyecdysone may be necessary and sequential feeding of chitin synthesis inhibitors and 20-hydroxyecdysone have been proposed. In this review, a few more potential approaches were summarized which can be used to accelerate termite baiting program.</p>","PeriodicalId":94077,"journal":{"name":"Journal of economic entomology","volume":" ","pages":"1045-1050"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143635024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carrie Owens Cottone, Mark Janowiecki, Nan-Yao Su, Claudia Riegel
{"title":"The impact of Operation Full Stop, New Orleans, Louisiana on suppressing Formosan subterranean termite (Coptotermes formosanus) colonies: 10 years later.","authors":"Carrie Owens Cottone, Mark Janowiecki, Nan-Yao Su, Claudia Riegel","doi":"10.1093/jee/toae297","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jee/toae297","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Formosan subterranean termite management initiative dubbed \"Operation Full Stop\", sought to protect structures within New Orleans' historic French Quarter. This program, lasting from 1998 to 2012, was able to decrease the overall population of Formosan subterranean termites in the area but did not eliminate all detectable colonies. Since Operation Full Stop ended in 2012, there has been a significant decrease in the number of alates observed in the French Quarter during reproductive flight season. Pedigree analysis was conducted on alates trapped during major swarm events in 2021. It was determined that an average of 7.25 (SD = 2.95) distinct colonies per glue trap were contributing to these swarm events. A bait-use survey was also conducted in the French Quarter, in which all accessible properties were checked to determine whether termite bait products were still in use within the French Quarter. We determined that approximately half (51.00%) of the structures in the French Quarter still currently have bait products installed around their perimeter. The interception of durable baits by neighboring termite colonies may be the reason why there has not been an increase in alate numbers since Operation Full Stop ended.</p>","PeriodicalId":94077,"journal":{"name":"Journal of economic entomology","volume":" ","pages":"1023-1028"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143634783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pei Guo, Liuyang Wang, Pu Miao, Yiping Niu, Chengjun Li, Jingjie An, Shujun Li, Tao Zhang
{"title":"A combination of predator and selective pesticide improves control of resistant Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae).","authors":"Pei Guo, Liuyang Wang, Pu Miao, Yiping Niu, Chengjun Li, Jingjie An, Shujun Li, Tao Zhang","doi":"10.1093/jee/toaf068","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jee/toaf068","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a major pest in cotton production, notorious for its rapid development of resistance to pesticides, which complicates control efforts. A sustainable solution involves combining selective insecticides with biocontrol agents to reduce pest populations while preserving natural enemies. Afidopyropen, a novel transient receptor potential vanilloid-targeted insecticide, was extremely safe for the minute pirate bug Orius sauteri Poppius (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), a common predator of small pests. The LC50 values for direct exposure were 592.38, 497.02, and 382.71 mg/L for the fifth instars and female and male adults, respectively. Even at the maximum recommended field rate, afidopyropen had minimal impact on the survival, predation efficiency, and reproduction of pesticide-treated O. sauteri and their offspring. Despite the resistance observed in field-collected A. gossypii, combining a low concentration of afidopyropen with O. sauteri significantly reduced aphid populations. By day 7 post-treatment, aphid density was decreased by over 94.29%. While a higher concentration of afidopyropen initially achieved 98.19% control, aphid populations rebounded over time. This study demonstrated that afidopyropen was extremely safe for O. sauteri as indicated by the higher LC50 values. The combination of a low concentration of afidopyropen with O. sauteri offers an effective control approach for resistant A. gossypii, presenting a novel integrated pest management strategy.</p>","PeriodicalId":94077,"journal":{"name":"Journal of economic entomology","volume":" ","pages":"1083-1092"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144047405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna O Subbotina, Vyacheslav V Martemyanov, Irina A Belousova
{"title":"Atypical pathogenesis of DsCPV-1 in candidate for mass production Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae).","authors":"Anna O Subbotina, Vyacheslav V Martemyanov, Irina A Belousova","doi":"10.1093/jee/toaf047","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jee/toaf047","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recently obtained cypovirus strain DsCPV-1 shows potential as a biological insecticide, with its alternative host Manduca sexta (L.) being a promising producer. We confirmed DsCPV-1 replication in M. sexta by quantitative PCR, validating DsCPV-1's suitability as a biological producer. At the terminal infection stage, we revealed many nonoccluded DsCPV-1 virions by transmission electron microscopy, indicating virus replication with reduced or without polyhedron formation in this alternative host.</p>","PeriodicalId":94077,"journal":{"name":"Journal of economic entomology","volume":" ","pages":"1436-1440"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143782369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Response of cotton cultivars with varying maturity traits to cotton fleahopper (Hemiptera: Miridae) feeding.","authors":"Malek A Alwedyan, Anjel M Helms, Michael J Brewer","doi":"10.1093/jee/toaf069","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jee/toaf069","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae), is an early season pest of upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. Feeding damage from this pest causes square abscission. The response of commercial cotton cultivars with varying maturity traits to cotton fleahopper feeding was assessed. The hypothesis was that feeding affects early and late-maturing cultivars differently in maturity delays and yield. Field experiments with natural and artificial infestations were conducted in Corpus Christi, TX. For the natural infestation experiment, 4 cultivars (DP 2020 B3XF, DP 2012 B3XF, PHY 332 W3FE, and PHY 545 W3FE) were assigned to main plots, with subplots either sprayed or not sprayed with thiamethoxam insecticide to control cotton fleahopper early in the season. The artificial infestation experiment used 2 cultivars (DP 2020 B3XF and PHY 545 W3FE) as main plots, with subplots infested to or not infested with cotton fleahopper using single square caging. In the no-spray subplots of the natural infestation experiment, cotton fleahopper feeding increased square abscission, leading to yield loss and delayed boll maturity, especially in cultivars classified as late-maturing. Early maturing cultivars consistently showed faster boll opening regardless of cotton fleahopper. Artificial infestation experiments further confirmed increased square abscission, reduced boll numbers, and lower lint weights when infested with cotton fleahopper. Early maturing cultivars are more resilient and may be particularly useful in areas with high cotton fleahopper pressure, especially when scheduling an early harvest is desirable.</p>","PeriodicalId":94077,"journal":{"name":"Journal of economic entomology","volume":" ","pages":"1271-1280"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144028423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}