Insect growth and metamorphosis is punctuated by molts, during which a new cuticle is produced. Every molt culminates in ecdysis, the shedding of the remains of the old cuticle. Both the timing of ecdysis relative to the molt and the actual execution of this vital insect behavior are under peptidergic neuronal control. Based on studies in the moth, Manduca sexta, it has been postulated that the...

The insect growth regulator novaluron (Rimon 10 EC, Makhteshim-Agan Ltd, Israel) is used against many field pests on corn, vegetables, orchards, forests, and cotton plantations. Previously, we studied various effects of novaluron on stored grain pests. Termination in Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) eggs hatching after treating adults with novaluron and following restoration after adult transfer to...

Nuclear receptors are a large family of transcription factors that play major roles in development, metamorphosis, metabolism and disease. To determine how, where and when nuclear receptors are regulated by small chemical ligands and/or protein partners, we have used a 'ligand sensor' system to visualize spatial activity patterns for each of the 18 Drosophila nuclear receptors in live developin...

A non-autoclaved solid diet was used to evaluate the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) strain NI8 and the insect growth regulator novaluron (Diamond® 0.83EC insecticide) for control of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) (Hemiptera: Miridae). The diet was composed of toasted wheat germ, ground lima bean meal...

Novaluron (Rimon 10 EC), a novel insect growth regulator, could play an important role in future management programs for Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say). Studies were conducted to determine the potential of Colorado potato beetle to develop resistance to novaluron before its widespread use in Colorado potato beetle management. Second instars of an imidacloprid-resistant ...

Pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors has spread across sub-Saharan Africa. Alternative tools and molecules are urgently needed for effective vector control. One of the most promising strategies to prevent or delay the development of resistance is to use at least two molecules having unrelated modes of action in combination in the same bed net. We evaluated in experimental huts in Côte d'Ivo...

Aerosol insecticides (also known as ULV or fogging treatments) delivered through an ultra-low-volume application system, are available commercially to control insect pests such as Plodia interpunctella Hübner, the Indian meal moth. However, little is known about the susceptibility of eggs of P. interpunctella to aerosol insecticides applied in active field sites. We conducted several trials by ...

The potential for using spinosad to protect Australian grain from storage insects is discussed. Spinosad is produced from the metabolic by-products of a soil-dwelling bacterium, and is active against a range of insect species. Studies on relevant susceptible and resistant strains of a range of beetle and psocid pests indicate that spinosad efficacy varies greatly between species. Among the five...

Based on prior field observations, we hypothesized that individual and interacting effects of plant size, density, insect herbivory, and especially fungal disease, influenced seedling and juvenile plant growth in native Platte thistle populations (Cirsium canescens Nutt.). We worked at Arapaho Prairie in the Nebraska Sandhills (May August 2007), monitoring plant growth, insect damage, and funga...

The gammaproteobacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila engages in a mutualistic association with an entomopathogenic nematode and also functions as a pathogen toward different insect hosts. We studied the role of the growth-phase-regulated outer membrane protein OpnS in host interactions. OpnS was shown to be a 16-stranded beta-barrel porin. opnS was expressed during growth in insect hemolymph and ex...