Benjamin Walsh (174) was probably the first to seriously consider the status of insects that morphologically resemble one another so closely that they can only be distinguished on the basis of subtle biological traits such as preference for or the ability to survive on different hosts. Most of Walsh's "phytophagic varieties" now fall under the rubric "biotype," a term employed primarily by appl...

A system is described for automated monitoring of pest insects in stored grain. It provides quantitative data indicative of the species of detected insects and is self-calibrating to maintain reliable operation over time across adverse environmental and biological conditions. The system uses electronic grain probes, each with a dual infrared-beam sensor head providing orthogonal views of fallin...

Fire and insects are natural disturbance agents in many forest ecosystems, often interacting to affect succession, nutrient cycling, and forest species composition. We review literature pertaining to effects of fire-insect interactions on ecological succession, use of prescribed fire for insect pest control, and effects of fire on insect diversity from northern and boreal forests in North Ameri...

Certain essential plant oils, widely used as fragrances and #avors in the perfume and food industries, have long been reputed to repel insects. Recent investigations in several countries con"rm that some plant essential oils not only repel insects, but have contact and fumigant insecticidal actions against speci"c pests, and fungicidal actions against some important plant pathogens. As part of ...

Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) is a cosmopolitan pest of stored products, grain processing, and foodwarehouses. This studywas initiated tomore fully characterize the role of structure, sanitation, and trap location on capture of T. castaneum in pheromone-baited pitfall traps commonly used in insect monitoring programs. Food patches, spatial structure, and trap position were manipulated in pilot s...

Host plant selection by insects is often divided into „host plant finding‟ and „host plant acceptance.‟ While the two are easy to separate conceptually, in practice, they are really part of a continuum of three, rather than two, inextricably bonded links. However, the central link of host plant finding, thought previously to be governed by volatile chemicals, has, until now, proved intractable ...

Biogenic amines perform many kinds of important physiological functions in the central nervous system (CNS) of insects, acting as neuromodulators, neurotransmitters, and neurohormones. The five most abundant types of biogenic amines in invertebrates are dopamine, histamine, serotonin, tyramine, and octopamine (OA). However, in beetles, an important group of model and pest insects, the role of t...

Insects are ubiquitous, crucial components of almost all terrestrial and fresh water ecosystems. In agricultural settings they are subjected to, intentionally or unintentionally, an array of synthetic pesticides and other chemical stressors. These ecological underpinnings, the amenability of insects to laboratory and field experiments, and our strong knowledgebase in insecticide toxicology, mak...