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The potato tuberworm Phthorimaea operculella Zeller, is one of the most important potato pests worldwide including China. Several reports indicate that P. operculella could be controlled biologically by the use of beneficial fungus such as Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv) Vuill. However, limited information is available under growing conditions in China. Thus, this study evaluated the sub-lethal effects of B. bassiana on the offspring of P. operculella by the age-stage, two-sex life table. First instar larva of P. operculella were treated with 1×107 conidia mL−1 of the fungus, and several biological parameters were evaluated. The fecundity, duration of the egg stage, all larval stages, pre-adult stage, and total pre-oviposition period, were significantly shorter than the control treatment. Offspring of treated parents, presented a net reproductive rate and mean generation time of 17.43 per day and 24.98 days, respectively, compared to 65.79 per day and 26.51 days for the untreated ones. This study provides basic information to help understanding the potential long-term effects of entomopathogenic fungi on P. operculella.

The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, is one of the most destructive sucking pests of vegetables, fruits and ornamental crops in China. Spinosad is one of the most commonly used insecticides to manage thrips. To assess the incidence of spinosad resistance in F. occidentalis field populations in eastern China, survival rates for 24 different populations were compared with those of a susceptible laboratory strain. All populations showed significantly higher resistance to spinosad compared with the control as determined by comparing median lethal concentrations. Two populations from Shouguang and Liaocheng in Shandong Province were classified as having moderate and high levels of resistance to spinosad with a mean resistance ratio of 17.0 and 89.2, respectively. Our research indicates a widespread reduction in spinosad efficacy for controlling F. occidentalis field populations, and that resistance management strategies should be implemented as soon as practicable, to reduce the potential of progressive resistance development and loss of efficacy.

The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin and predatory mite Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes are effective biological control agents of Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), one of the most important pests of ornamentals and vegetables world-wide. Combined application of both may enhance control efficiency. The functional response for N. barkeri on the first instar larvae of western flower thrips which were infected by B. bassiana for 12 and 24 h in the laboratory ((25±1)°C, (70±5)% RH, L:D=16 h:8 h) was determined. The virulence of B. bassiana against the second instar and pupae of the thrips attacked by N. barkeri were also tested. The results showed that N. barkeri exhibited a Holling type II functional response on treated thrips. After having been treated with the fungus for 12 h and then offered to the predator, thrips were more vulnerable to be killed by N. barkeri. The second instar larvae and pupae of the thrips which had been attacked by predatory mites were markedly more susceptible to B. bassiana infection than normal thrips; the cumulative corrected mortality of B. bassiana of the second instar and pupae which were attacked by N. barkeri were 57 and 94%, respectively, compared to 35 and 80% in controls on the day 8. These findings highlight the potential use of B. bassiana in combination with N. barkeri to control F. occidentalis.

The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) is a highly invasive pest that is able to exploit many crops across a wide range of environmental conditions. Five full-length cDNAs of heat shock protein (HSP) genes (Fo-HSP90, Fo-HSP70, Fo-HSP60, Fo-HSP40 and Fo-HSP28.9) were cloned from F. occidentalis, and their expression profiles were investigated under conditions of thermal stress and insecticide exposure, and at different stages during development, using real-time quantitative PCR. All five gene sequences showed high similarity to homologs in other species, indicating the conserved function of this gene family. HSP60 represents an informative phylogenetic marker at the ordinal taxonomic level within Insecta, but HSP90, which has two homologous copies in Hymenoptera, was not informative. The expression of Fo-HSPs under thermal stress suggests that Fo-HSP90, Fo-HSP70, and Fo-HSP28.9 are inducible by both cold and heat stress, Fo-HSP40 is only heat-inducible, and Fo-HSP60 is thermally insensitive. There were two patterns of cold induction of Fo-HSPs: one is from 0 to 4°C and the other is around −8°C. All five Fo-HSPs genes were induced by exposure to sublethal concentrations of the insecticide avermectin. The expression of the five Fo-HSPs during different developmental stages suggests that they all play a role in development of F. occidentalis.