Papers
Questionnaire-based surveys of homeowners revealed that ants were the most economically important and abundant household pest after mosquitoes and cockroaches in Malaysia. Twenty-five species of ants were found indoors and outside buildings; all species nest outdoors except Monomorium pharaonis, Mon...
The primary sources of pests that affect humans and invade their buildings are usually found in the surrounding landscapes. Pest management professionals and landscape managers need to be more aware of the sources of these pests and develop standard practices that reduce these sources. Of primary co...
Three components are considered when developing a baiting system: active ingredient; matrix; and termite biology. Attention to variations in termite biology is often limited, so a one-fits-all approach is chosen in the design. Efficacy of a bait system developed for a locally occurring species may n...
The basic principles of olfaction in mosquito-host interaction is presented using Aedes aegypti. Olfactometer bioassays investigated which compounds of the complex blend of human emanations play a role in the attraction, and which factors make some hosts more attractive than others. Beside L-(+)-lac...
Human vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, lymphatic filariasis, and dengue hemorrhagic fever are a global health problem. These diseases affect millions of people in developed and undeveloped countries. Entomologists, biologists, and vector ecologists from North America and Europe share informat...
The objective of the research presented here was to evaluate the impact of the introduction of a toxic food bait on foraging choice by the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.). This was done by analysing the importance of learning visual cues associated with feeding sites and the importance of...
The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is a highly invasive species, a major urban pest, and capable of impacting native systems. It was first found in New Zealand in 1990, and in March 2000, a population was discovered on a 200-ha island reserve of conservation significance. This led to a call for ...
The dynamics of colonisation, persistence, and extinction of Blattella germanicaand Plodia interpunctella populations was studied in a hospital kitchen and a food plant. Metapopulations of both pests persisted during the period of the study, despite the presence of regular monitoring and pest contro...
An inventory of invertebrates associated with different types of mulches in central Ohio revealed that significantly more organisms occurred in mulched plots than in bare soil plots. Mulch often harbored more than twice as many organisms as bare soil. Furthermore, these invertebrates were more preva...
The purpose of this study was to examine the relatedness of Reticulitermes flavipes subterranean termites using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) DNA fingerprints and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence from individual termites collected at four separate f...
New findings on the geographical distribution and ecto- and endoparasites of Rattus norvegicus, Rattus rattus, and Mus musculuswere recorded in 1999-2000. Seven specimens ofR. rattuswere trapped in the coastal plain of Israel, six of these in the Haifa area and one in Tel Aviv. Up to this record, th...
Argentine ants, Linepithema humile (Mayr), are a major urban pest species in many countries with Mediterranean and semi-tropical climates. L. humile primarily feeds on honeydew, nectar, and other liquid sweets. Baits consisting of sucrose solutions are highly preferred. Sucrose-based liquid solution...
The Pharaoh ant, Monomorium pharaonis (L.) is an important pest ant species in many parts of the world. Knowledge and understanding of feeding behavior of this species are essential to the success of baiting. Transfer of a toxicant in a bait to kill a targeted colony depends on the ability of the nu...
The odorous house ant, Tapinoma sessile (Say), is a severe pest of structures. We have investigated whether the use of liquid bait formulations is an effective strategy for control of this peripatetic, tramp-ant species. Sixteen homes or business establishments, located in or near Cape May, NJ, were...
The processes by which insects acquire toxic doses of the microencapsulated formulation of lambda-cyhalothrin (Demand CS) were studied using the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.). Cockroaches exposed to treated substrates acquired toxic doses of the insecticide rapidly, and HPLC analysis of...
Insecticidal activities of noviflumuron formulated as dust, gel, and suspension concentrate (SC) were evaluated against the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), in the laboratory and in apartments. In laboratory studies conducted in large cockroach arenas (1 m2 boxes), population reductions a...
The high level of resistance to organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides by German cockroaches is due to multiple factors, including the scheduled use of them, and isolated populations. Resistance in field populations have been observed in some Mexican strains, in which control failure with cyper...
This study compares statistical methodologies for the detection of low levels of insecticide resistance in the German cockroach. Results show that logistic regression and resistance ratios are relatively ineffective in distinguishing modest differences between strains, whether dose-mortality or time...
Two aerosol insecticide compositions were investigated in laboratory conditions against a complex of synanthropic insects. Both compositions have high acute insecticidal activity and have a long residual effect on glass, but not on plywood. It is shown that the knockdown effect was reversible on ply...
The resistance of the house fly to insecticides is a limiting factor for its control even in Slovakia, where more than 70% of flies are highly resistant to synthetic pyrethroids (permethrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, and lambdacyhalothrin), 66% of fly populations are highly resistant to bendiocarb...
Insect light traps are an important aspect of modern fly control in commercial food handling establishments. Many design factors of light traps are evaluated in a paired laboratory testing method. The influence variables have on the results of paired laboratory testing methods is evaluated to illust...
In the context of an integrated control strategy for house fly, Musca domestica, development within an urban solid waste treatment plant, tests were conducted to evaluate the sterilisation of M. domestica adultsby feeding them with Insect growth regulator (IGR) products commonly used for larvae cont...
The purpose of this demonstration project was to evaluate the effectiveness of three integrated pest management (IPM) treatment plans in controlling structural and institutional pests in public schools. IPM strategies evaluated were: 1) exclusion, trapping, and sanitation, with no chemical inputs; 2...
Pest status of household and structural pests is based primarily on their persistence in the urban environment. Persistence of pest populations is determined by availability of reservoir habitats that harbor large and stable populations, which supply individuals to maintain small, local infestations...
Oleander (Nerium oleander L., Apocynaceae) is an evergreen urbanite shrub, widely used for ornamental purposes in Egypt. Although this plant is naturally protected from several herbivores by its defensive secondary metabolites, it harbors many phytophagous pests. In the present work, a sampling prog...
In the area of Lake Suwa in central Japan, massive swarms of chironomid midges have repeatedly caused problems for local residents. Until now, light has been used as the customary countermeasure against chironomids wherever they occur, e.g., around natural lakes. In recent years, large numbers of sw...
The multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, was introduced into the United States to serve as a biological control agent and has now become well established in Ohio. To determine the nature and distribution of the nuisance problem in Ohio, we conducted a statewide survey during the summer...
The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), is currently considered the most destructive insect in Louisiana. It attacks living trees eating the centers and constructing a carton nest within. Infested trees can serve as reservoirs for termites to in...
Wood is a common structural material, used for building most homes and some commercial buildings in North America. This widespread use is due to wood’s desirable performance properties, abundance and cost effectiveness, ease of use, and favorable environmental attributes. However, wood can be degrad...
Olfaction behaviour of adultEuophryum confine was investigated using a wood substrate decayed by brown rot and white rot fungi. The first part of this study established whether adult weevils demonstrate a preference for wood modified by decay fungi over sound wood of the same species. Blocks of Pinu...
Carpenter ants, Camponotusspp., are major structural pests as well as nuisance pests in northern areas of the United States, southern Canada, and northern Europe. Management tools have included cultural controls to modify habitats and foraging, dust applications to wall voids, perimeter sprays, bait...
To investigate the social organization of Reticulitermes flavipes, we studied three populations in undisturbed wooded areas of North Carolina - one in each of the Piedmont, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Coastal Plain regions. We collected workers from natural wood debris, genotyped 20 workers per...
Subterranean termites of the genus Reticulitermes play a critical role in decomposition of dead wood in natural ecosystems. But in urban areas they are pests that cause serious damage. Reticulitermes santonensis Feytaud is found in distinct areas in Paris (France). More than half the neighborhoods (...
We investigated predictive correlations between temperature, precipitation, and springtime subterranean termite swarming in nine Texas cities. Heat units were calculated from December 21 through the date of the initial spring swarms during 1994-1999. Analysis of the heat unit data showed that none o...
This study compares the responses of termites to the lignin-degrading basidiomycete, Marasmiellus troyanus (Murrill) Singer, grown on different substrates, and examines the tunneling behavior of termites in sand treated with extracts of fungus-infected pure lignin versus solvent-treated sand. Termit...
Commercially available termite-baiting systems were evaluated for efficacy in a management program for Formosan subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Termite-baiting systems evaluated include Sentricon® (Dow AgroSciences), with hexaflumuron, FirstLine® (FMC Corp.), and Terminate® (U...
The development of termite baits has demanded effective means of evaluating the success of commercial bait systems. Evaluation has been complicated by unknown factors concerning subterranean termite biology and foraging as well as a lack of definitive research methods. One important element of effec...
Subterfuge® termite bait contains 0.3% hydramethylnon in a wood-flour matrix. Hydramethylnon provides a delayed-action mortality that allows for transfer of lethal doses within the termite population, followed by a relatively rapid elimination of the termites. Subterfuge® is effective in controlling...
Hexaflumuron is a chitin synthesis inhibitor registered in the United States solely as a termite bait active ingredient. A benzoylphenyl urea insect growth regulator, with the proposed common name of noviflumuron, is being developed by Dow AgroSciences for use as the active ingredient in a termite b...
The soil-applied termiticide, imidacloprid (Premise®, Hachikusan®) was registered for termite control in Japan in 1993. This non-repellent termiticide causes mortality in termites foraging near treated structures, and is transmissible to other termites not directly exposed to treated soil. A two-yea...
A modified test-tube bioassay was developed for Heterotermes aureususing Arizona soil samples from covered and exposed weathered termiticide plots. An organophosphate, a pyrethroid, a phenylpyrazol, and a nicotinoid were evaluated at 4 hours and 12 months post-application. Termites were placed in bi...
Soils of pH 5, 7, and 9 were treated with the equivalent of a commercial application of 0.50% permethrin. Over a period of 36 months post-treatment, the soil was analyzed to determine the concentration in parts per million of permethrin remaining in the soil. There was a significant difference in th...
A user-friendly database on Bancroftian Filariasis has been developed for its application in endemic zones. East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh are the endemic zones of the diseases where the complete information on vectors, vector transmission, and disease pattern has been collected....
The present paper describes a test procedure with human volunteers used for a comparative investigation of tick repellents. Eight commercially available repellents were tested against the tickIxodes ricinus (L.) and several test criteria described. Ticks were placed on a copper plate situated on an ...
Scorpions are common in urban and rural areas of Iran. The Iranian species are classified in Buthidae and Scorpionidae; there are 16 genera and 25 species, and a species in the family Diplocentridae occurs on Kish Island. The most common species are: Mesobuthus eupeus, Odontobuthus doriae, Scorpio m...
Malaria is a major public health problem in Kenya, Africa. In the Lake Victoria region, nearly one third of infant and nearly half of adult deaths are attributed to this vector-borne disease. Malaria contributes to malnutrition of children, complications in pregnancy, and maternal death. The informa...
The control of rats in the United Kingdom falls to various public and private sector organisations. Local authority environmental health departments do have certain legal duties related to the public health risks posed by rodents, but the way in which they meet these duties varies. This paper report...
Field trials involving seventy rural households from three villages in Mozambique were established to test whether intensive daily trapping inside household-level food stores could effectively reduce rodent pest populations. The main species caught inside dwellings where food was stored were Rattus ...
In summary, Urban Entomology in the United States enjoyed extraordinary growth in its early years. It continues to do so internationally, as evidenced by the ever increasing attendance at these conferences. In the United States, however, the discipline is at a critical cross-roads, as it has become ...