To many people slugs are unattractive and unwanted garden pests. Their extended eyestalks and slimy bodies are distinguishing characteristics. Slugs may be described as “snails without shells” or “mucus machines.” I like to think of them as “slimy thugs.” Their unwarranted attacks on defenseless crops can be excessively brutal and their footprints (slime trails) are always left at the crime sce...

Carbofuran (2,3-dihydro-2-2-dimethyl-7-benzofuranyl-Nmethylcarbamate) is a very effective systemic and contact insecticide and nematicide used against a wide range of agricultural pests (Aquino and Pathak, 1976; Caro et al., 1973). Though less persistent than most organochlorine pesticides, carbofuran is more toxic to animals, it is very soluble in water and tends to degrade faster under floode...

Genetically modified (GM) crops producing double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) are being investigated largely as an RNA interference (RNAi)-based resistance strategy against crop insect pests. However, limitations of this strategy include the sensitivity of dsRNA to insect gut nucleases and its poor insect cell membrane penetration. Working with the insect pest cotton boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis),...

Pests in the home are a health risk because they can be vectors for infectious disease, contribute to allergies and cause damage to buildings. The aims of this study were to record which categories of pests were reported in homes and to use a social cognition model, the health belief model, to investigate which psychological factors influence householders' intentions to control pests. An online...

While many studies have demonstrated the sensitivities of plants and of crop yield to a changing climate, a major challenge for the agricultural research community is to relate these findings to the broader societal concern with food security. This paper reviews the direct effects of climate on both crop growth and yield and on plant pests and pathogens and the interactions that may occur betwe...

1 This publication was developed to provide a summary of information about common boll-feeding bugs (heteropteran pests), stress proper identification of these pests, and acquaint the reader with the recommended strategies for management of boll-feeding bugs in cotton. The first section of this publication emphasizes the recent importance of boll-feeding bugs in cotton and provides a brief disc...

To study the feasibility of monitoring the diseases and insect pests in tobacco using hyperspectral remote sensing, leaf spectrum of tobacco infected with diseases and insect pests at different severity levels was measured by using ASD hand-held spectroradiometers. The reflectance data was transformed by the method of the first differential coefficient. Meanwhile, the correlation between severi...

Going hungry: The Irish Famine of the 1840s may appear a distant memory, but new strains of the pathogen that triggered it are still emerging and threatening food security. The image shows the Famine Monument at Dublin. (Photo: Professor Colin R. Howard (http://www.colinhoward.co.uk/photography.htm).) A simple line graph can tell a story of unimaginable tragedies. The population of Ireland incr...

The behavior of pests targeted by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops has been recognized as an important factor to define resistance management plans. However, most data do not include the possible impact resistance may have on the behavior of pests. To examine whether resistance influences behavior of European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), neonates after expo...