Mosquito host-seeking activity was studied using a custom-designed trap to explore: (1) at which time interval of the night adult mosquito abatement would be most effective, and (2) if there exists an avian-specific host-seeking preference. Overnight trials using traps baited with dry ice showed that Aedes taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann) was most active at dusk and was then captured throughout the night. In contrast, Culex spp. (Cx. pipiens (Linnaeus) and Cx. restuans (Theobald) delayed most activity until about two h after dusk and were then captured through the night. This pattern suggests that management activities directed at adult Culex spp. would be most effective if initiated well after sunset. Mosquito capture rates in traps baited with birds in net bags were significantly greater than those with empty net bags, indicating that mosquitoes were attracted to the birds and not incidentally being sucked in by the custom trap's strong fan motor (Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test, n = 24, t = 30, p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that bird weight influenced mosquito attraction (r 2 = 0.21, p = 0.02). Trials with paired traps that contained different native bird species showed that Gray Catbirds, Dumatella carolinensis, attracted more mosquitoes than the heavier Northern Cardinals, Cardinalis cardinalis (paired samples t-test, t = 2.58, df = 7, p = 0.04). However, attractiveness did not differ substantially among bird species, and Gray Catbirds did not attract more mosquitoes than all other birds combined as a group. American Robins, Turdus migratorius (n = 4) were comparable in attractiveness to other bird species, but not enough American Robins were captured for a comprehensive study of mosquito avian preference. Journal of Vector Ecology 35 (1): 69-74. 2010.
Eastern New York State is frequently the site of Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata, Say) populations with the highest observed levels of insecticide resistance to a range of active ingredients. The dominance of a resistant phenotype will affect its rate of increase and the potential for management. On organic farms on Long Island, L. decemlineata evolved high levels of resistance to spinosad in a short period of time and that resistance has spread across the eastern part of the Island. Resistance has also emerged in other parts of the country as well. To clarify the level of dominance or recessiveness of spinosad resistance in different parts of the United States and how resistance differs in separate beetle populations, we sampled in 2010 beetle populations from Maine, Michigan, and Long Island. In addition, a highly resistant Long Island population was assessed in 2012. All populations were hybridized with a laboratory-susceptible strain to determine dominance. None of the populations sampled in 2010 were significantly different from additive resistance, but the Long Island population sampled in 2012 was not significantly different from fully recessive. Recessive inheritance of high-level resistance may help manage its increase.
Cotton was planted on 5 May at the Robert Fratesi farm in Jefferson County. Plots consisted of 6 rows (40 inch centers) × 50 ft. Treatments were arranged in a RCBD with 4 replications. Insecticide treatments were applied on 30 Jun, 4 Jul, 23 Jul and 11 Aug with a CO2 sprayer mounted on a John Deere 6000 hi-cycle. Total volume was 10.6 gpa at 30 psi using Teejet TXVS-8 nozzles on 20 inch spacing. Insect counts were made at 4 DAT by whole plant examination of 10 row ft in the center of each plot.
Tests were conducted in a cotton field in 1994 and 1995 to evaluate the efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki Berliner alone and in mixtures with thiodicarb and cyhalothrin against heliothines and to evaluate the survival of predators on cotton. The heliothine population treated in both years was almost entirely Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (>97%). In both years, B. thuringiensis alone failed to reduce larval populations over the control plots (P > 0.05). Larval densities were similarly reduced in thiodicarb and thiodicarb-B. thuringiensis treatments. Treatments that contained cyhalothrin and/or profenofos provided the best control. Bacillus thuringiensis treatment of plots did not have any delayed effects on H. zea such as reductions in developmental rates or delayed mortality beyond 3 days after application. In addition, heliothine egg mortality in the 1994 collection 3 days after application did not differ significantly among treatments. Predator density in the B. thuringiensis alone treatment was similar to the untreated control. All treatments that contained conventional chemical insecticides, including thiodicarb at the ovicidal rate, reduced predator densities to low numbers. These data indicate that B. thuringiensis did not provide control of H. zea in cotton fields and did not improve control of H. zea when used in mixtures with an ovicide or larvacide. Therefore, caution should be urged in recommending B. thuringiensis when the heliothine species composition is skewed toward H. zea. Furthermore, when B. thuringiensis was used in mixtures with chemical insecticides, there was no conservation of arthropod predators relative to use of traditional chemical insecticide treatments.
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