Inventory and Food Web of Arthropod Fauna Associated with Lagerstroemia spp.1 in Texas

Gilder, Kyle; Gu, Mengmeng; Merchant, Michael E.; Heinz, Kevin M.

doi:10.3958/059.046.0212

Cited by 2 publications

References 92 publications

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Evaluation of olfactory and visual cues for conservation biological control of crape myrtle bark scale in urban landscapes

Ibiyemi,

Carroll,

Held

et al. 2024

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUNDAcanthacoccus lagerstroemiae (crape myrtle bark scale, CMBS) is an exotic scale insect that feeds on the sap of crape myrtle trees. Heavy infestations of CMBS reduce flowering and honeydew promotes sooty mold growth on the leaves and branches, reducing the aesthetic value of crape myrtle trees in urban landscapes. Lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are generalist predators that feed on CMBS. Several laboratory and field studies have demonstrated the attraction of lady beetles to olfactory and visual cues. We evaluated lady beetles’ responses to olfactory lures and yellow visual attractants on infested potted and landscape trees to increase natural enemy recruitment and reduce dependence on chemical control methods.RESULTSGas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis showed that limonene is the dominant volatile compound released by crape myrtles infested with CMBS. Limonene and methyl salicylate lures, alone or in combination, failed to reduce CMBS or recruit additional lady beetles to infested trees in all experiments. Yellow rectangular panels placed 1 m above the base of an infested tree recruited up to twofold more lady beetles than control trees; however, this was not statistically significant. A significant reduction in CMBS was observed on infested trees with yellow rectangular panels placed in the canopy.CONCLUSIONYellow rectangular panels are more likely to recruit lady beetles than limonene or methyl salicylate lures in an urban landscape. Management of CMBS is currently achieved using systemic insecticides. This study provides a basis for conservation biological control of CMBS through the recruitment of lady beetles, a significant advancement toward integrated management of this exotic pest. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

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Evaluation of olfactory and visual cues for conservation biological control of crape myrtle bark scale in urban landscapes

Ibiyemi,

Carroll,

Held

et al. 2024

Pest Management Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Crape myrtle bark scale Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae (Coccidae: Eriococcidae) infestation seasonally alters the abundance and composition of insect assemblages on crape myrtle trees

Carroll,

Held,

Turley

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Understanding changes to local communities brought about by biological invasions is important for conserving biodiversity and maintaining environmental stability. Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) are a diverse group of insects well known for their invasion potential and ability to modify local abundance of multiple insect groups. Here, we tested how the presence of crape myrtle bark scale (Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae, CMBS), an invasive felt scale species, impacted local insect abundance, biodiversity, and community structure on crape myrtle trees. We evaluated seasonal changes in standing honeydew crop on infested crape myrtle trees. Our field surveys showed that infestation of CMBS results in increases to local insect abundance and family-level richness, while negatively affecting community evenness. Community compositions of insect visitors were distinct between infested and non-infested trees. CMBS-infested trees had greater seasonal abundance of Coccinellidae, Vespidae, Halictidae, Sphecidae, Syrphidae, and Muscidae. The two families that responded most strongly to CMBS infestation (Coccinellidae, Vespidae) were dominated by non-native species. Non-infested crape myrtles showed no associations with insect taxa. Honeydew standing crop from landscape and potted trees infested with CMBS peaked during months with low insect visitation to infested crape myrtle trees. Our results show that the introduction of CMBS into local landscapes shifts community dynamics largely by increasing the abundance of generalist and non-native insect species. The cascading biotic effects of an invasive insect on whole communities highlights the importance of establishing more effective methods to prevent the spread of this non-native scale.

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Inventory and Food Web of Arthropod Fauna Associated with Lagerstroemia spp.1 in Texas

Cited by 2 publications

References 92 publications

Evaluation of olfactory and visual cues for conservation biological control of crape myrtle bark scale in urban landscapes

Evaluation of olfactory and visual cues for conservation biological control of crape myrtle bark scale in urban landscapes

Crape myrtle bark scale Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae (Coccidae: Eriococcidae) infestation seasonally alters the abundance and composition of insect assemblages on crape myrtle trees

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