The dimpling bug,Campylomma austrina Malipatil (Hemiptera: Miridae): the damage and its relationship with ants in mango orchards in the Northern Territory of Australia

The dimpling bug, Campylomma austrina Malipatil, has been recognised since 2002 as a serious mango pest in the Northern Territory, Australia. To fully understand the damage the bug causes and its relationship with ants, field experiments were conducted in five mango orchards in the Darwin area from 2001 to 2003 along with laboratory rearing trials. The latter revealed that the dimpling bug sucked sap mainly from the ovary of the flowers. As the ovary ripened, each puncture resulted in a black pimple on the skin of the marble-sized fruit (<5 mm in diameter). All of the most heavily damaged marble-sized fruits (>10 pimples/fruitlet) dropped from the trees. A field survey and field experiments showed that marble-sized fruit damage levels on trees bearing abundant weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius, were similar to those protected by chemical insecticides, however both suffered less damage than trees bearing fewer or no weaver ants or black ants, Iridomyrmex sp. We propose that the weaver ant is an efficient bio-control agent of the dimpling bug, and to limit the bug damage, high levels of weaver ant populations are required in mango orchards.     

The effect of the weaver ant,Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), on the mango seed weevil,Sternochetus mangiferae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in mango orchards in the Northern Territory of Australia

Abstract

The mango seed weevil, Sternochetus mangiferae (Fabricius), is one of the major mango insect pests in northern Australia. A reasonable level of control can be obtained with insecticide sprays together with orchard sanitation, but the only option available for organic growers is the latter. Weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius), are effective in controlling the main insect pests in citrus, cashew and mango orchards. To determine whether weaver ants, which are usually abundant in non-sprayed mango orchards, have the potential to control the mango seed weevil, field experiments together with regular monitoring programmes at six orchards in the Northern Territory of Australia were conducted from 2001 to 2003. Data from two conventional orchards showed that the treatment with weaver ants plus soft chemicals produced lower levels of downgraded fruits (<0.5%) compared to the treatment with chemical insecticides (1.4 – 2.1%). In three organic or insecticide-free orchards, fruits were much less damaged on trees with weaver ants (<1%) than on trees without the ants (2.5 – 15.7%). In the sixth orchard, that had much higher mango seed weevil populations than the others, levels of downgraded fruits were lower on trees with abundant weaver ants than on trees with fewer weaver ants. We conclude that weaver ants are efficient biocontrol agents of the mango seed weevil, and that for successful control of the pest it is important both to maintain the ants at high levels and to destroy excess fruits.     

Thieves,bats and fruit flies: local ecological knowledge on the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in relation to three ‘invisible’ intruders in orchards in Guinea

We held interviews with 100 mango and cashew growers in Guinea, West Africa. Fewer than 20 questions dealing with the tree-inhabiting weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda were developed, based on local context and related research conducted on farmers' knowledge in other countries. More than half of the growers reported that ants protect their orchard from thieves. Apart from deterring snakes, about 46% of the growers mentioned that weaver ants reduce damage by fruit-eating bats; some reported that bats do dislike the smell of weaver ants. Whereas the relationship between ants and humans or conspicuous fruit bats is well understood, a quantitative appreciation of the effect of Oecophylla on small insect pests, such as fruit flies, is more complex. Despite the fact that 57% of the growers reported that Oecophylla had a positive effect on mango fruit quality, many classified Oecophylla as a pest due to its nuisance during harvest, and they requested the plant protection staff to help them with pesticides. Strategies to strengthen local ecological knowledge are discussed.     

Implications of on-farm research for local knowledge related to fruit flies and the weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda in mango production

We interviewed half of the mango-growers in northern Benin, including 15 farmers involved in a regional fruit fly project, and held focus group discussions with women fruit-pickers. They were asked about pest management and their knowledge of a weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda. All considered low yields due to fruit flies to be the principal constraint upon mango production, estimating economic losses to be between 20 and 45%. None could recognize damage during the first 2 days after fruit fly egg deposition. On-farm research persuaded farmers to stop using insecticides and it also changed negative perceptions of Oecophylla. Over 80% of the farmers involved in on-farm research, compared to 25% of those not involved, reported Oecophylla to be beneficial. All fruit-pickers knew that ants protected mango from fruit flies, with 60% attributing better mango quality in terms of appearance, shelf-life and sweetness to the presence of Oecophylla. Nevertheless, 40% of the pickers still considered weaver ants a nuisance pest during harvest. Ways of reducing this nuisance need to be developed for Oecophylla to gain wider acceptance by mango-growers.     

泰安市核桃园主要病虫害发生情况及其化学防治用药流程

为明确山东省泰安市核桃园主要病虫害的发生情况及其化学防治的用药流程，于2017—2018年采用田间调查法进行主要病虫害的调查，于2019年采用常规喷雾法对不同防治对象进行化学防治，研究不同用药时间及用药次数下3种农药对核桃的保果效果及对主要病虫害的防治效果，确定用药流程。结果表明，2017年泰安市核桃园主要病虫害以核桃细菌性黑斑病、核桃炭疽病和核桃举肢蛾Atrijuglans aristata为主，造成的病虫果率达83.25%。5月中旬至6月下旬，以核桃细菌性黑斑病和核桃举肢蛾单独发生为主；7月上旬至8月上旬，以核桃细菌性黑斑病和核桃炭疽病单独发生为主；8月中旬至下旬，以核桃炭疽病单独发生和核桃炭疽病+核桃细菌性黑斑病共同发生为主。2018年3种病虫害造成核桃的总体落果率为79.84%，共出现2次落果高峰，即在6月下旬以核桃举肢蛾造成的落果和在8月下旬以核桃炭疽病单独发生和核桃炭疽病+核桃细菌性黑斑病共同发生造成的落果。针对以上3种主要病虫害，在核桃生长期应至少喷药6次，其总体的保果效果和防治效果分别达到96.58%和93.70%，分别显著高于喷药4次的83.72%和70.56%，与喷药8次处理差异不显著。在实际生产中，建议对核桃细菌性黑斑病自5月上旬至8月上旬，每15~20 d用药1次，至少用药6次；对核桃炭疽病自6月下旬至8月上旬，每15~20 d用药1次，至少用药4次；对核桃举肢蛾在5月下旬和7月下旬各用药1次。     

Implementing wood ants in biocontrol: Suppression of apple scab and reduced aphid tending

BACKGROUND

Ants can become efficient biocontrol agents in plantation crops as they prey on pest insects and may inhibit plant pathogens by excreting broad-spectrum antibiotics. However, ants also provide a disservice by augmenting attended honeydew producing homopterans. This disservice may be avoided by offering ants artificial sugar as an alternative to honeydew. Here we tested the effect of artificial sugar feeding on aphid abundance in an apple plot with wood ants (Formica polyctena, Förster), and tested the effect of ant presence on apple scab (Venturia inaequalis, Cooke) disease incidence.

RESULTS

Over a 2-year period, sugar feeding eliminated ant-attended aphid populations on the apple trees. Furthermore, scab symptoms on both leaves and apples were reduced considerably on ant trees compared to control trees without ants. The presence of ants on the trees reduced leaf scab infections by 34%, whereas spot numbers on fruits were reduced by between 53 and 81%, depending on apple variety. In addition, the spots were 56% smaller.

CONCLUSION

This shows that problems with wood ant-attended homopterans can be solved and that ants can control both insect pests and plant pathogens. We therefore propose wood ants as a new effective biocontrol agent suitable for implementation in apple orchards and possibly other plantation crops. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

贵州果园实蝇科害虫种群多样性分析

为明确贵州果园实蝇科害虫种类及多样性,评估贵州实蝇科害虫为害风险,保证特色果品质量及水果产业健康发展,本研究于2019年采用性诱剂、食诱剂等方式开展了贵州果园实蝇科害虫的诱集.经过1年持续调查监测,明确了贵州7个监测果园实蝇种类为8种,均属寡鬃实蝇亚科Dacinae,其中果实蝇属Bactrocera 2种,镞果实蝇属Z...     

微刺盲蝽的生物学特性研究概述(半翅目∶盲蝽科)

微刺盲蝽属 (Campylomma)昆虫既可取食植物如棉花、苹果、梨、芒果和茄子等 ,对农作物造成一定的危害 ,又可捕食多种害虫并成功地应用于生物防治。在害虫与益虫之间难以作一个明确的界定。本文介绍了该属昆虫的主要生物学特性和研究进展 ,旨在为该属昆虫作为害虫和天敌昆虫的进一步研究提供基础。     

Glue barriers reduce earwig damage on apricots in north-western Italy

The European earwig, Forficula auricularia L. (Dermaptera: Forficulidae), is a well-known species that is cosmopolitan and present throughout Europe. Due to its omnivorous feeding behaviour, this species can act as a generalist predator, preying on several top fruit pests, but also as a pest causing shallow gouges or holes in stone and soft fruits such as apricots, strawberries, raspberries or blackberries. In Piedmont (NW Italy), significant fruit damage has been observed lately in apricot orchards where earwigs fed on ripening fruits and made a considerable part of the produce unmarketable. In this study, we sampled earwig populations in three apricot orchards in Piedmont and tested the effectiveness of glue barriers applied to the tree trunks in reducing both earwig density in the canopy and fruit damage. The arboreal glues Rampastop® and Vebicolla® were tested both in the field and laboratory trials. Glue barriers demonstrated to be effective control measures, significantly reducing earwig abundance in the canopy and fruit damage. Rampastop® gave better results on old trees with a very rough and cracked bark, since in that case Vebicolla® could not perfectly bond with the trunk.     

The potential protective value of ants in Northern Australian coffee plantations

Abstract

Native ants are the oldest example of biological control agents used in tropical tree crops. Unfortunately, intensification of agricultural practices has led to a simplification of habitat and subsequent loss of native ant biodiversity. This article describes research that evaluated the native and introduced ants present in the canopies of two Australian sun coffee plantations, their distribution pattern and their potential to limit pests. The presence in coffee plantations of a range of beneficial insects and parasites, plus the effect of ants, most notably Iridomyrmex suchieri Forel, may maintain potential pests at low levels in coffee plantations. These effects may be important for future biological control programs of coffee pests in Australia, although the sun coffee grown here does not harbor a large variety of canopy ant species.     

世界四属果瘿蚊害虫比较及中国种类形态检索表

杧果Mangifera indica L.的果实和植株具有重要的经济价值,因而杧果上的害虫需要得到重视。本文为国内首次详细介绍世界已知四属杧果瘿蚊害虫的形态特征、地理分布、生物学特性和为害特点并进行比较,同时编写世界杧果瘿蚊害虫分属种检索表以及中国杧果瘿蚊分种形态特征检索表,以期使读者较全面地了解这类害虫的经济重要性,为进一步研究、鉴定、检疫和防治这类瘿蚊科害虫提供参考。     

一种危害杧果幼果的瘿蚊科害虫

杧幼果普瘿蚊(Procontarinia frugivora Gagné)是目前已知唯一危害杧果果实的地区性害虫,国内尚未发生分布。本文综述了其分类地位、地理分布、成虫形态特征、生物学特性、传播途径等,讨论了其经济重要性及防治对策,提出了进境检疫鉴定方法,以期为进境检疫工作提供参考。     

Entomological Problems of Agriculture in Bangladesh

Abstract

The location and climate of Bangladesh are described, together with the crops grown and organisations related to agriculture. The entomological problems of the main crops; rice, jute, sugarcane, and fruit crops such as mango, citrus, litchi, jack fruit, guava, banana, coconut and plum are presented. Some serious pests; aphids, epilachna beetles, ants, fruit flies, termites, cutworm and mealybugs are reviewed.     

Notes on the biology and ecology of Ptecticus testaceus (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) a soldier fly associated with mango fruit (m. indica) in Costa Rica

Abstract

The association between Ptecticus testaceus Fabr. (Dipt.: Stratiomyidae) and mango fruits attached to the tree is reported, with some observations on the ecology and behaviour on the soldier fly. P.testaceus apparently synchronized its biological cycle to mango fruit set in Costa Rica, and its adults feed on nectar of sunflower inflorescences. More detailed studies to determine the status of this dipteran, and its association with mango fruits, are suggested.     

中国实蝇检疫研究概况

实蝇(fruitfly)是为害水果和蔬菜的有害生物,这类害虫尤其是在果蔬的国际贸易中受到关注,多将其列为检疫性有害生物而置于有关的法规中。本文从应用于植物检疫的角度,着重就实蝇的监测和有关生物学的研究、实蝇鉴定技术研究、实蝇除害处理研究、建立实蝇非疫区、果园实蝇防治研究以及我国在水果国际双边贸易中的实蝇问题等多个方面的内容收集和介绍有关研究概况,对我国就以实蝇为内容的研究提供相关信息。     

寡毛实蝇的监测、鉴定和检疫处理研究

实蝇是水果和蔬菜的大害虫，在世界果蔬贸易中占有重要的地位。本研究采用国际通用的监测技术，利用Ｔｒｉｍｅｄｌｕｒｅ，Ｃｕｅｌｕｒｅ和Ｍｅｔｈｙｌｅｕｇｅｎｏｌ三种实蝇引诱剂于１９８０年开始至今，连续十多年对寡毛实蝇和地中海实蝇进行监测，同时也收集实蝇的寄主果实，开展周年季节性调查。经对收集的标本的鉴定，共发现寡毛实蝇２０种，其中有国内新记录６种。其详细描述收集在“实蝇及其防除”和“亚太地区寡毛实蝇”两本书中     

Argentine ant control around homes: efficacy of treatments and urban runoff

ABSTRACT

Pest management professionals in California receive more customer complaints about Argentine ants than for any other urban ant pest. Fipronil, applied as a 30 × 30 cm band around the house foundation, has become the preferred treatment used to control these ants. Unfortunately, fipronil is now showing up in urban waterways at levels that are toxic to aquatic invertebrates. Our recent studies are aimed at mitigating insecticide runoff while still controlling the ant infestations. A high priority is preventing fipronil runoff from the driveway to the street, where it can flow into drains and from there to urban waterways. In this paper, two related studies address these issues. Not treating driveways with fipronil reduced by two to three orders of magnitude its runoff when compared with earlier studies. However, not treating the driveway can reduce efficacy of treatments. Granular bifenthrin, indoxacarb, botanicals, and a thiamethoxam ant bait were tested as supplemental treatments. The gel bait showed the best result as a supplement, but only after 8 weeks. We have reduced fipronil runoff while maintaining efficacy of the ant treatments.     

The management type used in plum orchards alters the functional community structure of arthropod predators

Abstract

The management practices in agroecosystems can alter the community structure of pests’ natural enemies, which can consequently disturb their biocontrol function. Here, we investigated how organic or conventional farming influence the community structure of arthropod predators (spiders, coccinelids, anthocorids, ants) in orchards. The three conventional orchards studied were plum tree monocultures where mainly fungicides were applied. The three organic orchards studied were dominated by plum trees with admixture of apple trees and no agrochemical was applied. We found that management significantly affected only spiders that were less abundant in the conventional orchards than in the organic orchards. In addition, the conventional management resulted in reduced species density and altered the community composition of spiders. The conventional management reduced the functional dispersion of spider body size, which may narrow the size-spectrum of pests that could be reduced by spiders. The conventional management also reduced abundances of foliage hunters and space-web spiders. Since these spiders are effective against various insect pests, the conventional management of applying fungicides might result in increased crop damage via increased insect pests.     

桃小食心虫性信息素的研究与应用

桃小食心虫Carposina sasakii是果实中为害最大、发生面积最普遍的食心虫类害虫之一。应用昆虫信息素防治害虫作为一种生物防治技术,具有专一性强、无公害、不伤天敌等优点,国内外对其研究和利用日益受到重视,并在多种农林害虫的治理中得到了成功应用。本文就桃小食心虫分布、寄主、成虫行为的昼夜节律、性信息素的分离和鉴定、性信息素的人工合成及田间应用等方面进行综述,并提出目前该领域存在的问题。     

Pesticide use,arthropod fauna and fruit damage in apple orchards in a Nordic climate

BACKGROUND

Integrated pest management (IPM) has a long history in fruit production and has become even more important with the implementation of the EU directive 2009/128/EC making IPM mandatory. In this study, we surveyed 30 apple orchards in Norway for 3 years (2016–2018) monitoring pest- and beneficial arthropods as well as evaluating fruit damage. We obtained growers’ diaries of pest management and used these data to study positive and negative correlations of pesticides with the different arthropod groups and damage due to pests.

RESULTS

IPM level had no significant effects on damage of harvested apples by arthropod pests. Furthermore, damage by arthropods was mainly caused by lepidopteran larvae, tortricids being especially important. The number of insecticide applications varied between 0 and 3 per year (mean 0.8), while acaricide applications varied between 0 and 1 per year (mean 0.06). Applications were often based on forecasts of important pest species such as the apple fruit moth (Argyresthia conjugella). Narrow-spectrum insecticides were commonly used against aphids and lepidopteran larvae, although broad-spectrum neonicotinoid (thiacloprid) insecticides were also applied. Anthocorid bugs and phytoseiid mites were the most abundant natural enemies in the studied orchards. However, we found large differences in abundance of various “beneficials” (e.g., lacewings, anthocorids, parasitic wasps) between eastern and western Norway. A low level of IPM negatively affected the abundance of spiders.

CONCLUSION

Lepidoptera was found to be the most important pest group in apple orchards. Insecticide use was overall low, but number of spray applications and use of broad-spectrum insecticides varied between growers and regions. IPM level did not predict the level of fruit damage by insects nor the abundance of important pests or most beneficial groups in an apple orchard. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.