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Beneficial insects (predators, parasitoids, pollinators) associated with stinging nettles, Urtica dioica Linnaeus (Urticaceae), were sampled at three sites in central Washington during spring-summer 2011-2013 using transparent sticky traps attached to upper portions of plants. Large numbers (200-400/trap) of beneficial insects were trapped particularly in June and early July, gradually decreasing thereafter. Phytophagous insects (aphids and leafhoppers) were trapped in much lower numbers (< 20/trap). Predatory bugs, carnivorous flies, parasitic wasps (Pteromalidae, Eulophidae, Trichogrammatidae, Scelionidae) and native bees dominated the trap catches. Predatory bugs were the most abundant beneficial insects trapped in 2 years (2011, 2013) with parasitic wasps dominant in 2012. Minute pirate bugs, Orius spp. (Anthocoridae) were dominant, accounting for > 95% of predatory bugs, peaking in abundance in June or July. Predacious flies were dominated by species of Empididae and Dolichopodidae. Native bees were commonly trapped, especially in 2011 and 2012. The data presented here indicate that stinging nettles in the Yakima Valley of eastern Washington may provide an important habitat for beneficial insects and may have a role to play in enhancing conservation biological control in agricultural crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasitic wasps are one of the most abundant natural enemies of insect pests and the most ecologically understudied. Agathirsia is a genus of solitary, parasitic wasps, restricted to arid regions of the south-western United States of America and Mexico. They often parasitise the larvae of lepidopteran (butterflies and moths) crop pests. Pollen analyses were conducted on 127 specimens of 19 Agathirsia species to determine possible food sources and plant taxa important to these beneficial insects. Pollen was examined with both light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Pollen was removed from the head more than any other insect part (96% of the time). In the LM analyses, nearly 1700 pollen grains were recorded and assigned to 117 pollen types, 49% of which were Asteraceae. For the SEM analyses, pollen was identified but not counted. Eighty-eight pollen types were identified, of which 48% were Asteraceae. Pollen from 36 families, 65 genera and nine species were identified. Asteraceae pollen was classified into more genera than any other plant family. Common taxa included Ambrosia, Artemisia and Baccharis. The large diversity and high number of Asteraceae indicates that these plants can help sustain Agathirsia populations near crop fields, and ultimately reduce the amount of applied pesticides and save farmers time and money. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT To recommend new pest management tactics and strategies to farmers and policy makers, economic entomologists must evaluate the economics of biologically reasonable approaches. We collected data to determine how frequently these economic evaluations occur. We discovered from our survey of entomological journals representing the discipline of economic entomology that <1% of research papers published since 1972 include economic evaluations of pest management tactics. At least 85% of these analyses were performed by entomologists and not economists. Much of the research on economic evaluations is performed without special funds granted by agencies separate from the authors' institutions. In the United States, USDA competitive grants supported 20% of the economic evaluations published since 2000. However, only ≈12% of the projects funded since 2000 by three sections of the USDA (Crops at Risk, Risk Avoidance and Mitigation Program, and Pest Management Alternatives Program) resulted in publications concerning economic evaluations. If the purpose of economic entomology is to ultimately determine the value of different kinds of tactics, the discipline may need to take steps to enhance the research that supports these evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to synthetic chemicals as a popular method of insect control in the United States was one of the most critical developments in the history of American agriculture. Historians of agriculture have effectively identified the rise and charted the dominance of early chemical insecticides as they came to define commercial agriculture between the emergence of Paris green in the 1870s and the popularity of DDT in the 1940s and beyond. Less understood, however, are the underlying mechanics of this transition. This article thus takes up the basic question of how farmers and entomologists who were once dedicated to an impressively wide range of insect control options ultimately settled on the promise of a chemically driven approach to managing destructive insects. Central to this investigation is an emphasis on the bureaucratic maneuverings of Leland O. Howard, who headed the Bureau of Entomology from 1894 to 1927. Like most entomologists of his era, Howard was theoretically interested in pursuing a wide variety of control methods—biological, chemical, and cultural included. In the end, however, he employed several tactics to streamline the government's efforts to almost exclusively support arsenic and lead-based chemical insecticides as the most commercially viable form of insect control. While Howard in no way "caused" the national turn to chemicals, this article charts the pivotal role he played in fostering that outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To replace deceased colonies or to increase the colony numbers, beekeepers often purchase honey bees, Apis mellifera L., in a package, which is composed of 909-1,364 g (2-3 lb) of worker bees and a mated queen. Packages are typically produced in warm regions of the United States in spring and shipped throughout the United States to replace colonies that perished during winter. Although the package bee industry is effective in replacing colonies lost in winter, packages also can be an effective means of dispersing diseases, parasites, and undesirable stock to beekeepers throughout the United States. To evaluate the quality of packages, we examined 48 packages representing six lines of bees purchased in the spring 2006. We estimated levels of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman and the percentage of drone (male) honey bees received in packages. We surveyed for presence of the tracheal honey bee mite, Acarapi.s woodi (Rennie), and a microsporidian parasite, Nosema spp., in the shipped bees. We found significant differences in both the mean Varroa mite perbee ratios (0.004-0.054) and the average percentage of drones (0.04-5.1%) in packages from different producers. We found significant differences in the number of Nosema-infected packages (0.0-75.0%) among the six lines. No packages contained detectable levels of A. woodi. Considering the observed variability among honey bee packages, beekeepers should be aware of the potential for pest and disease infestations and high drone levels in packages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of insectary plants in agroecosystems to provide floral resources for enhancing natural enemy activity is an increasingly used practice, but candidate flowering plant species are not always screened for their attractiveness to key arthropods in the system being studied. In the work presented here, the relative attractiveness of four species of insectary plants to beneficial and pest insect species was assessed by observing the relative frequencies of flower visits to replicated blocks of the insectary flowers in two Oregon broccoli fields. The four plant species tested were alyssum (Lobularia maritima L. Desv.), coriander (Coriandrum sativa L.), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), and phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth.). Predatory hoverflies (Syrphidae) were identified to species, where possible, because of their previously observed importance as aphid predators in broccoli fields in the study area. The other beneficial insect groups observed were in the families Apidae, Coccinellidae, Tachinidae, and Vespidae, and the three main pest species were western tarnished plant bug (Lygus hesperus Knight), western spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata undecimpunctata Mannerheim), and imported cabbageworm (Pieris rapae L.). The Syrphidae visited mostly coriander, but this "preference" was probably influenced by competition from other foragers. Bumblebees and the three pest species visited mostly phacelia, and other species groups were less consistent in their flower choices. The different insect preferences for flowers are discussed in terms of the key influencing factors that should be considered when assessing the relative attractiveness of insectary plants in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on several researches conducted by the Agricultural Research Service to explore the potential use of non-native lady beetles in the biological control of insects, pests and weeds. Includes researches on Propyllea quatuordecimpunctata, Coccinella undecimpunctata, Hippodamia variegata, Harmonia quadripunctata and Harmonia axyridis; Theories on where the beetles originated.

Criticizes the redefinition of the term biological control which was proposed by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) research briefing panel as "the use of natural or modified organisms, genes, or gene products to reduce the effects of undesireable organisms, and to favor desireable organisms such as crops, trees, animals, and beneficial insects and microorganisms." Opinion that the NAS definition disregards the historical roots and ecological basis of biological control; Idea that biological techniques are applied in research on biopesticides and the modification of biological organisms, and that some forms of pest control are self-sustaining, while others require periodic human input; Perception that the use of genetic improvement and biotechnology to improve natural enemies is a promising and valid type of augmentative biological control.

Highlights the efforts of U. S. Agricultural Research Service scientist Michael T. Smith to eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). Comments from Smith; Description of how sentinel trees can capture and destroy ALB; Statement from Joseph Tropp of the Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit in Newark, Delaware.

The article presents information on the importance of honey bee genetics in disease resistance. Honey bees are a key beneficial insect. They pollinate about 130 fruit, vegetable, nut, ornamental, and fiber crops in the U.S. The Honey Bee Genome Project became a reality in late 2002, with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health, an organization interested in using bees as a model for understanding human health. The Web site, Bee-Base, is a genome analysis and display database headed by scientists at Texas A&M University. It provides specific information on genes implicated in disease resistance and other desirable traits.

Discusses research being done on the treatment of beneficial insects infected with disease in Gainesville, Florida. Ways to determine the cause of infection in beneficial weevils; Method used to eliminate disease in insect colonies; Response of healthy insect to cold treatments.

Focuses on the challenges faced by the beneficial insect business in the U.S. as of March 2004. Cost effectiveness of using beneficial insects in agriculture; Factors affecting the beneficial insects market including competition from the pesticide industry; Potential impact of genetically modified crops and the production of reduced risk insecticides on the beneficial insect business.

Reports on the results of a study conducted by entomologists Thomas W. Phillips and Megha N. Parajulee to explore potential use of the pirate bug Lycotcoris campestris in the biological control of insects and pests. Favorite prey of the pirate bug; Details of how the bug attack its prey; Method for rearing a bug colony; Contact information.

Presents news briefs pertaining to U.S. colleges and universities. Recipients of the grants from the estate of the late Dr. John Ordionaux of Roslyn; Completion of the new salary schedules for members of the University of Chicago faculty; Information on the full professorship given to William Morton Wheeler in economic entomology at Harvard University.