Showing papers in "Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society in 2022"
TL;DR: The first county-level checklist of the bees of Massachusetts is presented, including verified records of 390 species, largely the result of increased bee surveys in the past 15 years, and the richness of the Massachusetts bee fauna is compared to that of neighboring states.
Abstract: Abstract: We present the first county-level checklist of the bees of Massachusetts, including verified records of 390 species. We review the literature and historical material, and supplement these with recent collections and online image databases, compiling a dataset of over 100,000 records. Detailed accounts are provided for 50 species reported for the first time in Massachusetts, including six species reported for the first time in New England, and 49 other species noteworthy for their paucity of records, distributional significance, novel host/ parasite associations, or taxonomic uncertainty. The addition of newly reported species is largely the result of increased bee surveys in the past 15 years, including targeted sampling on known host plants. Twenty-three species represented in collections prior to 2005 are absent from recently collected material. The richness of the Massachusetts bee fauna is compared to that of neighboring states. Sixteen of the approximately 35 exotic species recorded from North America are verified from Massachusetts. We report recent rediscoveries in the state of Andrena rehni Viereck, 1907, and the regionally rare Epeoloides pilosulus (Cresson, 1878). Two new presumed host-parasite associations are made, those of Epeolus inornatus Onuferko, 2018 parasitizing the nests of Colletes banksi Swenk, 1908, and of Triepeolus obliteratus Graenicher, 1911 parasitizing the nests of Melissodes apicatus Lovell and Cockerell, 1906.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , a bio-rational management strategy using insect growth regulators (IGRs) to control the population of Conopomorpha sinensis (Bradley) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) is presented.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: The litchi fruit borer, Conopomorpha sinensis (Bradley) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), is one of the major destructive and main pest of litchi fruits in Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh. This experiment was carried out in three different litchi orchards to develop a bio-rational management strategy using insect growth regulators (IGRs) to control the population of C. sinensis. The effectiveness of emamectin benzoate 5%, buprofezin, lufenuron, lufenuron (5%) + emamectin benzoate (5%), and abamectin were evaluated on the basis of fruit damage, yield of undamaged fruit and size, % fallen fruit, and total number of larvae in fallen fruits in three different litchi orchards. In our results, treatment with buprofezin showed the lowest (13.3%) level of fruit damage, followed by lufenuron + emamectin benzoate, abamectin, emamectin benzoate, and lufenuron, all of which were statistically significant compared with the untreated control. Furthermore, the highest number of undamaged fruits rate and mean fruit length were 86.7% and 17.8 mm, respectively, for buprofezin treatment compared to control (75.5 and 16.2). A large number of damaged, fallen fruits were found in the control plots (11.3%), while their number was lowest in buprofezin-treated orchards (4.1%). The chemical composition of litchi fruits was not affected by the application of IGRs. Indeed, levels of vitamin C, sugars, and titratable acidity increased in IGR-treated fruits compared with fruits from the control plots. Moreover, IGR treatments had a positive effect on total phenol (except lufenuron + emamectin benzoate) and flavonoid content of litchi fruits, improving their quality and as a source of antioxidants. Therefore, buprofezin can be used to manage the litchi fruit borer in organic litchi orchards.
TL;DR: The presence of morphological abnormalities from the described state (aberrations) can cause issues with identification of complex groups of bees.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: The presence of morphological abnormalities from the described state (aberrations) can cause issues with identification of complex groups of bees. Three accounts of aberrant specimens of North American Hylaeus Fabricius from Rocky Mountain, Colorado are described. A specimen of Hylaeus rudbeckiae (Cockerell and Casad) exhibiting mosaic gynandromorphy, a specimen of Hylaeus personatellus (Cockerell) exhibiting aberrations on the face, and a specimen of Hylaeus coloradensis (Cockerell) exhibiting an aberration in the wing venation are described here with photo documentation.
TL;DR: In this paper , the first major cleansing flight during the winter in a honey bee apiary was witnessed on February 6, 2021, and a light snowfall and freezing rain prior to the flight allowed delineation of the distribution of distances from the aggregation of hives of fecal depositions and immobilized honey bees fallen to the ground.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: The first major cleansing flight during the winter in a honey bee apiary was witnessed on February 6, 2021. A light snowfall and freezing rain prior to the flight allowed delineation of the distribution of distances from the aggregation of hives of fecal depositions and immobilized honey bees fallen to the ground. Five transects were surveyed radiating from the aggregation of four overwintered hives to collect the data. The frequency distributions of these events were fit to Gamma probability density functions and then a test of the following hypothesis was constructed. Are cleansing flights solely comprised of local defecation by workers and then return to the hive? Or do workers also commence foraging in suboptimal air temperatures for flight? We found evidence that cleansing flights are comprised of two behaviors, local deposition of feces and long-distance foraging. This is based upon a significant difference (P < 0.001) between the mean distance from the hives of fecal deposition (3.01 ± 0.36(se)) and immobilized bees on the ground (9.49 ± 1.21(se)).
TL;DR: In this article , American burying beetles (ABB) were captured and recorded in June and August from 2015 to 2017 at Merritt Reservoir and McKelvie National Forest in Cherry County, Nebraska.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: The largest North American Silphidae, the American burying beetle (ABB), Nicrophorus americanus Olivier, has been extirpated from ∼90% of its historic range and is federally threatened. Two distinct populations in the Southern (Oklahoma and Arkansas) and North-Central United States (Nebraska and South Dakota) persist at the western edge of the ABB's former range. In Nebraska, the western limits of occurrence are associated with Merritt Reservoir and linked irrigation canals. ABBs are also found at the nearby hand-planted McKelvie National Forest. While habitat alteration and fragmentation are likely the primary reasons for ABB decline, few studies have examined their response to human habitat modifications unrelated to urbanization or agricultural conversion. Through five-day sampling periods with carrion-baited pitfall traps, ABB were captured and recorded in June and August from 2015 to 2017 at Merritt Reservoir and McKelvie National Forest in Cherry County, Nebraska. Traps were placed in transects (N = 4) at each location with reservoir traps set at the shoreline, transition, and upland habitats and forest traps set in the prairie, transition zone, and pine forest. At Merritt Reservoir, 651 ABB were captured, with significantly more collected at the shoreline. Concurrently, 23 ABB were captured at McKelvie Forest, with more ABB found within the forest compared to nearby prairie. These findings support previous suggestions that the western distribution of ABB is limited by moisture. Further investigation may indicate that reliable soil moisture associated with altered habitats in Nebraska could support ABB and potentially allow western range expansion.
TL;DR: The results show that tightly sealed bioassay arenas must be avoided, even for short-term studies lasting only a few days, as metabolic gases accumulate rapidly, causing negative effects on termites beginning within 4 to 6 days.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: Effects of metabolic gas accumulation on termite behavior in tightly sealed laboratory bioassay arenas were compared with arenas with partial air exchange, or open ventilation. Laboratory studies with termites are often conducted in glass or plastic arenas. These studies can last from a few days up to 12-16 weeks or longer. Based on personal observation and published laboratory studies, how tightly study arenas are sealed is not consistent. In some instances arenas are tightly sealed with impermeable rubber stoppers or tight-fitting lids. In other studies, arenas are covered with semi-air-permeable Parafilm®, or loose-fitting aluminum foil or ventilated lids to allow air exchange. Generally, arenas are covered and not completely open to the air, thereby maintaining high moisture requirements needed to avoid termite dehydration. In this study, to determine metabolic gas accumulation and gas effects on termite groups collected from two field colonies, bioassay arenas were capped with either tightly sealed metal lids, semi-air-permeable Parafilm, or stainless steel mesh to allow non-restricted ventilation. Gas concentrations in these arenas and termite behavior and mortality were determined over time. During the study no visible ataxic termite behavior or significant mortality was observed within Parafilm or stainless-steel-mesh capped arenas. In contrast, tightly sealed arenas quickly accumulated significantly more metabolic gases compared with the other arena configurations, causing obvious abnormal termite behavior within 96 hours after these arenas were sealed. Within 8 to 10 days 100% moribund or dead termites occurred in tightly sealed arenas, whereas termites in semi-permeable membrane or non-restricted ventilated arenas were behaving normally. Excess gas accumulation in tightly sealed arenas first elicited negative effects between 96 and 144 hours. Our results show that tightly sealed bioassay arenas must be avoided, even for short-term studies lasting only a few days, as metabolic gases accumulate rapidly, causing negative effects on termites beginning within 4 to 6 days.
TL;DR: In this article , the effects of five newly registered insecticides: pyrethrins and canola oil, cyclaniliprole, cyclanelliprole and cyclanileiprole (CLP), cyclaneLLP and flonicamid, and Beauveria bassiana PPRI 5339 on adult survival of the rove beetle and the insidious flower bug were investigated.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: The rove beetle, Dalotia coriaria (Kraatz) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), and insidious flower bug, Orius insidiosus (Say) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), are biological control agents used in greenhouse production systems. However, there is no information available on the effects of five newly registered insecticides: pyrethrins and canola oil, cyclaniliprole, cyclaniliprole and flonicamid, afidopyropen, and Beauveria bassiana PPRI 5339 on adult survival of these biological control agents. Consequently, two experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions in 2020 to determine the direct effects of the five insecticides on rove beetle and insidious flower bug adults. Individual rove beetle or insidious flower bug adults were placed into Petri dishes with filter paper treated with the insecticides. After 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours, the number of live and dead adults was recorded. We found that afidopyropen at 0.27 mL/500 mL and Beauveria bassiana PPRI 5339 at 0.11 and 0.50 mL/500 mL, were not directly harmful to rove beetle or insidious flower bug adults with 100% survival. However, pyrethrins and canola oil, cyclaniliprole, and cyclaniliprole and flonicamid were directly harmful to rove beetles and insidious flower bugs with ≤ 60% adult survival. Based on our results, afidopyropen and Beauveria bassiana PPRI 5339 can be integrated into biological control programs that include the use of rove beetle or insidious flower bug adults.
TL;DR: It is shown that formulations of BC agents and emergence of adults can vary depending on individual shipments from the supplier providing the BC agents, and greenhouse producers should develop protocols for quality assessments of purchased BC agents before releasing them into greenhouses.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: Quality assessments of commercially available biological control (BC) agents is important to ensure the success of a BC program. It is important that greenhouse producers assess if BC agents received from BC suppliers are alive and functional before releasing into greenhouse production systems. We conducted a preliminary study to determine the quality of shipments from two suppliers of the whitefly parasitoid, Eretmocerus eremicus Rose & Zolnerowich (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). Release cards containing parasitized pupae of the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), were individually placed into 500 mL Mason jars and a 4 x 5 cm yellow sticky card was attached to the inner lids. We found differences between the two shipments received from the two suppliers. For the first shipment, supplier B had a higher mean number of adults captured on the yellow sticky cards than supplier A (Laboratory: 10.1 versus 4.2 and Distributor: 19.1 versus 5.9 adults, respectively). However, for the second shipment, supplier A had a higher mean number of adults captured on the yellow sticky cards than supplier B (Laboratory: 14.5 versus 8.1 and Distributor: 20.9 versus 8.0 adults, respectively). Our preliminary study shows that formulations (release cards) of BC agents and emergence of adults can vary depending on individual shipments from the supplier providing the BC agents. Therefore, greenhouse producers should develop protocols for quality assessments of purchased BC agents before releasing them into greenhouses to ensure they have the best chance of successfully regulating pest populations below damaging levels.
TL;DR: New geographic range extensions for 16 leaf beetle species are presented and all specimens examined are deposited in the Mexican collection.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: In this short communication, I present new geographic range extensions for 16 leaf beetle species. All specimens examined are deposited in the Mexican collection “Colección Nacional de Insectos Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marín”, National Museum of Natural History, Mexico City.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors reported broods of up to 14 pupae in a single chamber with an average of 5.8 pupae per chamber (previously reported range 2 - 6 pupae/chamber).
Abstract: Abstract: Isodontia auripes [Fernald] females nested in fourteen 12-mm diameter artificial trap nests at two locations in New York State (Geneseo and Rensselaerville). We report broods of up to 14 pupae in a single chamber with an average of 5.8 pupae per chamber (previously reported range 2 - 6 pupae/chamber). Nest architecture, with plugs of finely shredded, packed grass and coarse, wound grass stems, was similar to other reports of I. auripes nests, except that only one nest contained a grass partition on the back wall of the chamber (in a case where mud-nesting wasps had preceded I. auripes). All prey items that could be identified to species were either the non-native drumming katydid, Meconema thalassinum [DeGeer], or the narrow-winged tree cricket, Oecanthus niveus [DeGeer]; M. thalassinum accounted for 71% of identified prey and is a new prey record for this wasp. Nests contained an estimated average of 11 prey per pupa, with a strongly female-biased prey sex ratio. The 116 collected pupae suffered from high pre-emergence mortality (65.5%), mostly due to the presence of parasitic flies and chalcid wasps in many nests. Adult females were larger than males in body mass and head width but did not differ in emergence time. Both male and female wasps could be found within single brood chambers, though the population was male-biased (2.4:1) and individual nests strongly favored one sex. In general, pupal cases closest to the nest entrance within a chamber were smaller than those found furthest away, suggesting size-related fitness impacts for offspring based on the order of egg laying.
TL;DR: The results suggest that food deprivation for the duration of the study could effectively inhibit infestations by L. serricorne adults, which could assist in the design of effective stored product pest sanitation protocols.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: The effectiveness of sanitation in preventing infestation of stored products by insects depends on the effect of food deprivation on the survival of those insects. The survival rate and progeny production of Lasioderma serricorne (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) adults with different starvation periods was investigated at 27 ± 2 °C, 75 ± 5% relative humidity in the laboratory. Only 16.7 ± 3.3% of L. serricorne adults survived 18 d of starvation, and the number of adult progenies produced was reduced 90.9 ± 5.7% after 18 d of starvation. The results suggest that food deprivation for the duration of the study could effectively inhibit infestations by L. serricorne adults, which could assist in the design of effective stored product pest sanitation protocols.
TL;DR: Melanoplus macclungi Rehn, 1946, is a little-known grasshopper originally recorded from Sun City, Kansas as mentioned in this paper , and was also collected throughout western Oklahoma, and northeast Arkansas.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: Melanoplus macclungi Rehn, 1946 is a little-known grasshopper originally recorded from Sun City, Kansas. As part of a survey of Oklahoma grasshoppers, we also collected this species throughout western Oklahoma, and northeast Arkansas. Analysis of citizen science data resulted in additional records for M. macclungi in central Arkansas and southwest Missouri. We have also recorded information on habitat preference, parasitoids, and fecundity.
TL;DR: Results from the present study provided essential clues for explaining the behavior difference between male and female A. chinensis, and important information for developing bait traps for A.chinensis.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: The citrus longhorn beetle Anoplophora chinensis (Forster) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is a destructive polyphagous species, which has been documented on broadleaved tree hosts from 40 genera. The antennal transcriptomes from male and female A. chinensis were constructed separately. We analyzed and annotated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between male and female A. chinensis. The putative olfactory genes among the DEGs were identified. De novo assembly acquired 25,733 and 25,420 unigenes from male and female A. chinensis, respectively. After removing the redundant unigenes, 39,955 all-unigenes were produced. For male A. chinensis, the mean length of unigenes was 923 bp, and that was 881 bp in female. 24,359 (60.97%) of the all-unigenes were annotated in the nr database and the rest 15,596 (39.03%) unigenes could not find clear homology with recorded genes. A total of 4,672 genes were differentially expressed between males and females. Compared with males, 2,241 (47.97%) of the DEGs were up-regulated and 2,431 (52.03%) were down-regulated in females. We identified 31 differentially expressed olfactory genes between male and female A. chinensis, including 14 OBPs, 7 ORs, 4 GRs and 6 SNMPs. Results from the present study provided essential clues for explaining the behavior difference between male and female A. chinensis, and important information for developing bait traps for A. chinensis.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors conducted a landscape-scale survey of grasshoppers, plant communities, and prairie dogs in a grassland/shrubland ecosystem in eastern Wyoming.
Abstract: Abstract: Grasshoppers are major consumers of plant biomass in grassland and shrubland ecosystems. While often considered generalists, grasshopper species have differing habitat preferences and interactions with other consumers in grasslands. There are conflicting accounts of how prairie dog colonies and differences in vegetation impact grasshopper abundance and composition. We conducted a landscape-scale survey of grasshopper communities, plant communities, and prairie dogs in a grassland/shrubland ecosystem in eastern Wyoming. Over the study landscape, spurthroat grasshoppers (Melanoplinae) were associated with lower sagebrush cover and lower cover of C3 perennial graminoids, bandwing grasshoppers (Oedipodinae) were associated with low-lying areas with a high cover of C4 grasses and a low cover of cheatgrass, and slantface grasshoppers (Gomphocerinae) were associated with low vegetation height. Prairie dogs, presumably because of their effects on vegetation, had different impacts on different groups of grasshoppers. Melanoplinae grasshoppers, the Wyoming toothpick grasshopper (Paropomala wyomingensis Thomas), and grasshoppers with early-season phenology were associated with prairie dog colonies. However, because some species of grasshoppers were positively and others negatively associated with prairie dogs, the net effect of prairie dogs on total grasshopper biomass was neutral. Thus, to determine the role of grasshoppers in prairie ecosystems, it will be important to determine whether there is functional equivalence of grasshopper species in consuming plant biomass and as food for vertebrates.
TL;DR: In this article , the attractiveness of 30 different plants to foraging insects was evaluated on 14 dates in 2016 and 2017, and a total of 57 insect morphospecies were recorded, with bees (Apoidea: Anthophila) the most abundant pollinator and honey bees the most frequently observed forager.
Abstract: ABSTRACT: Urban and rural landscapes are important for providing floral resources to pollinating insects, yet determining the attractiveness of specific plants to a variety of pollinators remains a need in many regions. The objective of this study was to determine the attractiveness of 30 different plants to foraging insects. On 14 dates in 2016 and 2017, floral abundances were measured and the number of insect visitors recorded. A total of 57 insect morphospecies were recorded, with bees (Apoidea: Anthophila) the most abundant pollinator and honey bees the most frequently observed forager. Russian sage (Salvia farinacea) and Catmint (Nepeta × faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’) attracted the greatest number of pollinators. Native plants adapted to the region attracted the highest diversity of pollinators. Thirteen plants, some that are considered good pollinator plants, attracted low numbers of insects. Five pollinator taxa (Anthophora californica/urbana, Apis mellifera, Agapostemon angelicus/texanus, Lasioglossum spp., and Bombyliidae) were attracted to 10 or more different plants, while approximately 65 percent of the taxa were attracted to three or fewer plants. Results support strategies for both grassland restoration and the selection of plants when resources and habitat for pollinators are considered in the management of urban green spaces.