A novel, 10 kb RNA virus—tentatively named ‘Abisko virus’—was discovered in the transcriptome data of a diseased autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata) larva, as part of a search for the possible causes of the cyclical nature and mortality associated with geometrid moth dynamics and outbreaks in northern Fennoscandia. Abisko virus has a genome organization similar to that of the insect-infecting ne...

For decades, scientists and engineers have been fascinated by cybernetic organisms, or cyborgs, that fuse artificial and natural systems. Cyborgs enable harnessing biological systems that have been honed by evolutionary forces over millennia to achieve astounding feats. Male moths can detect a single pheromone molecule, a sensitivity of roughly 10 grams. Thus, cyborgs can perform tasks at scale...

High levels of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner in diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (L.), (LC50 more than 280 ppm) was observed in a watercress greenhouse in Osaka Prefecture in 1988. Populations of egg, larva, pupa and adult of diamondback moth were monitored weekly throughout 1988. Population of the larva fluctuated from nearly 0 to 1,300,000. Three control methods were attem...

Boundary habitats are frequently hot spots for the production and flow of organic matter (OM) and exert strong effects on ecological processes in the habitats which they link. Salt marshes, which are boundary habitats occurring between the land and the sea, are important sources of OM for coastal habitats. Primary productivity and tides are among the main causes of OM production and export from...

Studies were conducted in 1997 and 1998 to evaluate the effects of three particle film formulations consisting of kaolin and adjuvants on neonate larvae, ovipositing adult females, and eggs of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.). Neonate larval walking speed, fruit discovery rate, and fruit penetration rate on apple host plants coated with particle films were significantly lower than on host...