Data are presented on the attraction of nitidulid beetles (primarily Carpophilus spp.) to synthetic aggregation pheromone, pheromone plus fermenting bread dough or dough alone, in an apricot orchard in southern New South Wales during November-March. The combination of pheromone and bread dough was significantly more effective than either type of bait alone. Synthetic pheromone of Carpophilus hemipterus (L.) increased attraction of this species to dough by 115 times. Low order (1.7-3.2 times increase) cross-attraction of Carpophilus mutilatus Erichson, Carpophilus davidsoni Dobson and Carpophilus (Urophorus) humeralis (F.) also occurred to the combination. Synthetic pheromone of C. mutilatus increased the attraction of this species to dough by up to 17 times and appeared to be most effective early in the season. C. davidsoni and C. humeralis also responded to this pheromone (1.6-5.6 times increase). All species showed some cross-attraction to synthetic pheromones of three North American Carpophilus spp. The potential for using synthetic pheromones in the management of nitidulid beetles in stone fruit orchards is discussed.

Effects of host availability and feeding period on bed bugs, Cimex lectularius (L.) (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), were measured. Population growth and the potential harmful effect of bed bug populations on human hosts were modelled. Bloodmeal sizes were affected by both feeding length and frequency, with >2-fold difference between insects fed daily or weekly. Blood consumption increased >2-fold between bed bugs fed occasionally and often, and 1.5-fold between occasional and daily feeding. Bed bugs fed more often than once a week, potentially every 2-4 days. Egg production was associated with nutrition, being strongly correlated with blood consumption in the previous week. Bed bug populations can grow under different feeding regimes and are hard to control with <80% mortality. Bed bugs can survive and grow even in locations with a limited blood supply, where bed bug persistence may be important for the continual spread of populations. Persistence in non-traditional locations and a potential association with human pathogens increase the health risks of bed bugs. Potential blood loss as a result of a bed bug can have serious consequences because uncontrolled populations can reach harmful levels in 3-8 months. The reproduction potential of bed bug populations suggests serious consequences to human health and the need for efficacious control measures.

No abstract

The effect of temperature on the rate of development of Amblyse&s victoriensis (Womersley) was determined by rearing individuals under a range of constant temperatures between 20 -45°C. Rates of development changed in a linear fashion from 20 -30°C for eggs and 20 -35°C for egg to adult. Lower developmental thresholds and degree days (DD) required for development were estimated for eggs (15.0°C, 23.4 DD), larvae and nymphs (9.3°C, 60.3 DD) and egg-adult (10.3°C, 93.