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Knowledge regarding egg morphology can aid the selection of postharvest fumigants for insect control. Accordingly, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine eggs of spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula (White) (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), a pest recently invasive to the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. As the overwintering life stage of SLF, eggs are deposited on a variety of refugia, including many forestry products that can be distributed geographically via travel, commerce, and/or trade. For fumigation to control SLF, and potentially translate into a viable strategy for limiting the spread of SLF by subject pathways, the fumigant must permeate the chorion to react with biomolecules and/or disrupt cellular processes. SLF chorion was characterized by a porous network of aeropyles localized around the operculum, in cranial and caudal relation to the developing nymph, as well as an interstice between the operculum edge and the opercular rim. The confirmation of chorionic ultrastructure that allows for ready gas exchange warrants further investigation of fumigation efficacy, even for those "non-reactive" fumigants, such as phosphine and hydrogen cyanide, which must overcome the suppression of cellular processes coincident with overwintering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fumigation with methyl bromide has been a long established and effective method for controlling many pests of stored products, including the key major pests that infest dry-cured hams, aged cheese, and other value-added durable stored products. Methyl bromide had been widely used for the disinfestation of dry-cured ham facilities in the United States, but is now phased out of use since it is an ozone-depleting substance. This paper reports laboratory studies to evaluate the efficacies of methyl bromide and phosphine for controlling two of the key arthropod pests of dry-cured hams and aged cheeses. Larvae of the red-legged ham beetle, Necrobia rufipes (Fabricius), were the most tolerant life stages when treated with either phosphine or methyl bromide for 48 h exposure at 23°C, whereas eggs of the mold mite, Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank), were slightly more tolerant than mobile stages for both compounds. Under laboratory conditions, complete control was achieved for the both species with concentrations of 0.85 and 4.0 g/m3 of phosphine and methyl bromide, respectively, at 48 h exposure. The results give new information for judicious use of the existing stocks of methyl bromide, whether for pest mitigation or to help in developing a quarantine treatment schedule with that gas. Phosphine shows good potential as an effective alternative to methyl bromide, but if it was to be adopted as a fumigant in the dry-cured ham industry, methods to prevent metal corrosion would need to be designed and effectively implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Fumigants, such as 1,3-dichloropropene and chloropicrin, have become key to pre-plant pest management in almond production. Whilst the use of these fumigants has become increasingly restricted due to human health concerns, less is known about their below-ground non-target effects in orchards and how nematode communities recover from fumigation over time. In this study, replicated trials compared 1,3-dichloropropene + chloropicrin to non-treated controls in two almond orchards in California, USA. Nematode communities, nematode indices and nematode metabolic footprints were quantified soon after fumigation and for 2 years afterwards. Fumigation reduced the Herbivore Metabolic Footprint in year 1, and populations of Pratylenchus vulnus in year 3. Fumigation also reduced populations of larger omnivores and predators, resulting in lower levels of the Structure Index at one site. Populations of fungal-feeding nematodes were more adversely affected by fumigation than bacterial-feeding nematode populations. At both sites, fumigation still influenced nematode community composition 2 years after treatment application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voles (Cricetidae) cause extensive damage to a variety of crops throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere. The removal of vegetation from crop fields at the end of the growing season, combined with a subsequent burrow fumigant application of aluminum phosphide, has the potential to substantially curtail vole activity but has not been thoroughly examined. We set up a study to test the impact of these management tools in perennial globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus) fields in Monterey County, CA, during 2010 and 2011, to determine their potential utility as part of an integrated pest management (IPM) program for managing California voles (Microtus californicus). We used both chewing indices and mortality estimates derived via radiotelemetry to assess the efficacy of aboveground vegetation removal and aluminum phosphide applications on vole abundance. We determined the impact of plowing artichoke fields on vole activity as well. Both removal of vegetation and applications of aluminum phosphide substantially reduced vole presence within treated fields. Plowing also reduced vole abundance to the point of little residual activity following treatment. These management practices appear to be effective at eliminating voles from crop fields. Combining these tools with management practices designed to slow down reinvasion by neighboring vole populations (e.g., barriers, repellents, traps) has the potential to substantially reduce farmer reliance on rodenticides for vole management, although rodenticides will still be needed to curtail populations that reestablish within crop fields. Such an IPM approach should substantially benefit both farmers and agro-ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is the most important stored-product insect pest infesting rice (Oryza sativa L.) mills in the United States. Due to the phasing out of methyl bromide in accordance with the 1987 Montreal Protocol, the efficacy of alternative fumigants in controlling flour beetles in mill structures must be evaluated. Long-term trapping data sets (2-6 yr) of T. castaneum in and around seven rice mills were analyzed to assess the efficacy of sulfuryl fluoride fumigation (n = 25). Fumigation efficacy was evaluated as the percentage reduction in mean trap captures of adults and proportion of traps capturing at least one adult beetle. Beetle trap captures fluctuated seasonally, with increased captures during the warmer months, June-September, that dropped off during the cooler months, October-March. Fumigations resulted in a 66 ± 6% (mean ± SE) reduction in mean trap captures within mills and a 52 ± 6% reduction in the proportion of traps capturing at least one adult beetle. Lengths of time for captures to reach prefumigation levels, or rebound rates, were variable, and adult capture levels inside were most influenced by seasonal temperature changes. Temperatures inside mills followed those outside the mill closely, and a significant positive relationship between outside temperatures and trap captures was observed. Inside and outside trap captures exhibited a significant, positive relationship, but fumigations consistently led to reductions in beetle captures outside of mills, highlighting the interconnectedness of populations located inside and outside mill structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although it is not currently being sold in the USA, the recent US registration of the fumigant methyl iodide has led to an increased interest in its environmental fate and transport. Although some work has now considered its volatile emissions from soil, there remains a lack of experimental data regarding its ability to be retained in soil and ultimately become transported with irrigation/rain waters. Using laboratory batch and soil column experiments, we aimed to better understand the phase partitioning of MeI, the ability of soils to retain MeI on the solid phase, and the potential for leaching of MeI and its primary degradation product, iodide, down a soil profile. Results indicated that MeI was retained by the solid phase of soil, being protected from volatilization and degradation, particularly in the presence of elevated organic matter. Retention was greater at lower moisture content, and maximum retention occurred after 56days of incubation. At higher moisture content, the liquid phase also became important in retaining MeI within soil. Together with low observed KD values (0.10 to 0.57mLg−1), these data suggest that MeI may be prone to leaching. Indeed, in a steady-state soil column study, initially retained MeI was transported with interstitial water. The MeI degradation product, iodide, was also readily transported in this manner. The data highlight a potentially significant process by which MeI fate and transport within the environment may be impacted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article examines the limited air monitoring data which were collected during and after fumigation at a commodity warehouse fumigated with phosphine which resulted in lung damage in the U.S. It concludes that airborne concentrations exceeded the accepted exposure limits for phosphine and for phosphoric acid which resulted from moderate to severe lung damage to warehouse employees. It notes that the exposure incident at the warehouse resulted from a violation of pesticide registration.

Fraxinus spp. logs infested with Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) were fumigated with sulfuryl fluoride (SF) in 432–liter chambers at 15.6 and 21.1°C for 24 and 48 h. Concentration X time (CxT) exposures (g–h⁄m3) of SF obtained were 3,382 (24–h exposure) and 5,466 (48–h exposure) at 15.6°C and 3,329 (24 h) and 4,385 (48–h exposure) at 21.1°C after doses of 144, 128, 128, and 104 g⁄ m3, respectively. After aeration, logs were placed in modified fiber drums for 8 wk to capture emerging beetles. No adults emerged from any of the fumigated logs, whereas 933 adults emerged from control logs. Eggs were fumigated at CxT exposures similar to log fumigations (3,240 and 4,262 g–h⁄m3, respectively) and again at doses 16 g⁄m3 lower, at 21.1°C for 24 and 48 h. No hatch was observed at CxT dosages >4,262 g–h⁄ m3. No larvae continued development on artificial diet after hatching from eggs fumigated at all tested dosages, whereas 10 control larvae developed to instar I or TI. Chamber fumigations with 31 and 46% load factors provided additional sorption and concentration data. A. p1anipenni–infested logs in tarped, 149.1–m3 cargo containers were fumigated at dosages used in successful trials. Logs were monitored for 8 wk for adult emergence. There was no adult emergence, but 621 adults emerged from a similar quantity of control logs. CxT dosages of SF for 100% control of A. planipennis at 15.6 and 21.1°C for 24and 48–h exposure can be obtained under commercial fumigation conditions. A quarantine treatment schedule for SF is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo (genera Bambusa and Phylistachys) is one of the fastest growing and economically important plants in the world, and it is cultivated widely throughout southern China. China annually exports to the United States significant quantities of bamboo garden stakes (Bambusa spp.). In recent years, Plant Protection and Quarantine officers of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have made numerous interceptions of the bamboo borer, Chiorophorus annularis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), in bamboo products from China. This species is considered to have high pest risk potential in the trade of bamboo products. As a fumigant, sulfuryl fluoride (SF) would be a practical alternative to methyl bromide (MeBr) fumigation. Here, we report the results of SF fumigation tests for C. annularis in bamboo poles at three doses-96 g/m3 at 15.9°C, 80 g/m3 at 21.5°C, and 64 g/m3 at 26.0°C-in glass test chambers. Commercial standard fumigations were also conducted in a standard 6.1-m-long, 33.2-m3 (standard height, 20-feet) marine general cargo container loaded to 80% (vol:vol) with similar bamboo poles, and sufficient levels of SF were obtained during the 24-h fumigations. During the course of these tests, 2,424 larvae, 90 pupae, and 23 adults in total were killed, with no survivors. A treatment schedule using SF is proposed for bamboo as an alternative to MeBr at several temperatures tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Increased vegetative growth and soil carbon (C) storage under elevated carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) has been demonstrated in a number of experiments. However, the ability of ecosystems, either above- or belowground, to maintain increased C storage relies on the response of soil processes, such as those that control nitrogen (N) mineralization, to climatic change. These soil processes are mediated by microbial communities whose activity and structure may also respond to increasing atmospheric [CO2]. We took advantage of a long-term (ca 10y) CO2 enrichment experiment in a sweetgum plantation located in the southeastern United States to test the hypothesis that observed increases in root production in elevated relative to ambient CO2 plots would alter microbial community structure, increase microbial activity, and increase soil nutrient cycling. We found that elevated [CO2] had no detectable effect on microbial community structure using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, on microbial activity measured with extracellular enzyme activity, or on potential soil N mineralization and nitrification rates. These results support findings at other forested Free Air [CO2] Enrichment (FACE) sites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera Rhinotermitidae), accidentally brought into the United States, has become a major urban pest, causing damage to structures and live trees. Because of increasing restrictions on the use of conventional termiticides, attention is focused on finding safer alternative methods for termite management. Oil from citrus peel, referred to here as orange oil extract (OOE), contains ≈92% d-limonene, and it is generally known to be toxic to insects. In laboratory experiments, 96 and 68% termites were killed in 5 d when OOE at 5 ppm (vol:vol) was dispensed from the top or bottom, respectively, with termites held at the opposite end of a tight-fitting plastic container. Apart from high mortality, workers exposed to vapor consumed significantly less filter paper than controls. However, when termites were exposed to OOE vapor, even at 10 ppm, in the void of a model wall, there was very little mortality. Termites did not tunnel through glass tubes filled with sand treated with 0.2 or 0.4% OOE. Sand treated with OOE was extracted each week for 8 wk to determine the remaining amount of d-limonene. Results indicated that there was a sharp decline in the quantity of d-limonene during the first 3 wk to a residual level that gradually decreased over the remaining period. With a suitable method of application and in combination with other control practices, OOE can be effectively used for the control of subterranean termites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), was probably introduced into the United States from China with solid wood packing and dunnage during the 1980s, and it has recently become established in limited infestations near several major cities in the United States. Regulated wood packing material (RWPM) arriving in the United States from China is required to undergo fumigation with methyl bromide (MeBr), to be heat treated, or kiln dried. Sulfuryl fluoride (SF) is a candidate fumigant to replace MeBr under certain conditions. SF fumigations were conducted in 432-liter Lexan chambers held in a 6.1-m (20-foot) refrigerated container for temperature control. Each fumigation consisted of 12 Popular spp. 10- by 10- by 115-cm timbers, of high moisture content, naturally infested with Asian longhorned beetle. During 2001, we fumigated wood for 24 h at a range of doses (20-112 g/m³) and temperatures (4.4, 10.0, 15.6, and 21.1°C) and subjected the data to probit analysis. Confirmatory fumigations were conducted at doses of 120 and 104 g/m³ at temperatures of 10.0 and 15.6 or 21.1°C, respectively, which resulted in complete kill of all larvae. Pupae that became available later in the year as temperatures warmed were fumigated at 15.6 and 21.1°C with 104 g/m³, which resulted in complete pupal mortality. The next year (2002), we conducted 24-h fumigations with doses of 116 g/m³ at 4.4 and 10.0°C with cold-harvested wood infested with cold-acclimated larvae. Cold-acclimated larvae required much higher concentration times time (CxT) product for control at 4.4 and 10.0°C compared with nonacclimated larvae. Sulfuryl fluoride treatments at a dose of 104 g/m³ and temperature of 15.6°C and above and that achieved a CxT product of 1,095 g-h/m³ or above are recommended for RWPM infested with Asian Ionghorned beetle larvae and pupae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky), has recently (since 1996) established in limited infestations near several cities in the United States. A. glabripennis was probably introduced into the United States with solid wood packing or dunnage. During 2001, we evaluated the current APHIS Schedule T404-b-1-1 for methyl bromide (MeBr) fumigation. Fumigations were conducted in 432-liter Lexan chambers inside a 6.1-m refrigerated container. Each fumigation consisted of 12 high-moisture, naturally infested Populus spp. timbers. We fumigated wood for 24h at 4.4°C (80g/m³), 10.0°C (64 g/m³), 15.6°C (56 g/m³), and 21.1°C (48 g/m³). All schedule doses resulted in 100% kill of A. glabripennis larvae. During 2002, we conducted additional fumigations to determine the basic toxicity of MeBr to A. glabripennis larvae in solid wood timbers of 10 by 10 by 115-cm size. Probit analysis estimated the CxT product at 99.0, 99.9, 99.99, and 99.99683% kill (probit-9). The probit-9 values for CxT were 1,196.1, 918.7, 642.4, and 362.4 g-h/m³ at 4.4, 10.0, 15.6, and 21.1°C, respectively. Applied doses to achieve this level of control were estimated to be 119.6, 82.7, 56.0, and 32.2 g/m³, respectively. These applied doses are satisfactory for wood as a commodity with wood load factors of ≈25% and may be higher than necessary for container fumigation where sorptive wood load as crating or pallets may only be 5% or less. The APHIS Schedule T404-b-1-1 is adequate if extended for 24 h and should be amended to include intermediate doses at 10.0 and 15.6°C, thus reducing the use of MeBr at these temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring the success of Alternative Development (AD) programs by the number of illicit crop hectares eradicated puts AD in an undesirable competition with aerial fumigation, which can reduce these areas in a much shorter time. Whereas AD can only obtain results over the long term, the political push to demonstrate immediate successful results has led to an imbalance in United States anti-drug aid, which is strongly weighted towards aerial fumigation. Despite the short-term success of aerial spraying, the key question of the political, social, and economic sustainability of the results obtained through the use of forceful eradication remains open. AD policies have suffered from changes in their focus over time. Today they are fixated on the idea that the sole purpose of illicit crops is to finance terrorist groups. This conception of the policy issue results in the use of force -- specifically, aerial fumigations using chemicals -- as the foundation for decision making. This single criterion, therefore, affects programs that once recognized the social and economic roots of the problem of illicit crops. This paper seeks to examine and question those aspects of the current strategy and to explore alternative strategies of eradication that take into account who makes decisions in this matter and on whose behalf said alternatives establish oversight for the ongoing advancement in drug policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents abstracts of poster sessions given at the 101st Annual International Conference of the American Society for Horticultural Science in Austin, Texas in July 2004. Biofumigation Potential of Field Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) Seedmeal; Preemergence Weed Control in Container-Grown Herbaceous Perennials; Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) Rhizome Regeneration in Pine Bark, Soil and Sand Substrates.

Evaluates the hazards associated with methyl bromide used in soil fumigations against witchweeds in the United States. Compositions of methyl bromide; Occurrence of systemic toxicity; Irritation in the skin upon contact with liquid methyl bromide.

This article discusses the effect of methyl bromide fumigation on orchids. Orchids are liable to be infested by insects and mites, particularly scale insects, and however carefully the plants are checked and cleaned before export the occasional insect infestation passes unnoticed. Several countries, therefore, require a fumigation treatment as a safeguard against the introduction of orchid pests. In Australia, all orchids are fumigated on arrival with 32 ounces of methyl bromide per 1,000 cubic feet for one and a half hours. In the U.S., only imports found by inspection to be infested are treated, the dosage applied being 40 ounces of methyl bromide per 1,000 cubic feet for 2 hours at 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Insects can infest facilities that house and process post-harvest grains and grain-based products. Integrated pest management tactics rely on tracking insect populations and using this information to select and target management tactics. Our ability to predict when and where to best focus treatment relies on an understanding of long-term trends, but often any available monitoring data are limited in its duration. Here we present data collected over a 10-year period at a flour mill in the central part of the United States. Using traps placed both inside and outside a flour mill and baited with pheromone-lures for Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), Indianmeal moth, and Trogoderma variabile Ballion, warehouse beetle, we examine environmental and spatial variability in insect captures. We find that both species, inside and outside the mill, are highly influenced by seasonal patterns, with peaks of insect captures during the warm season (April through September). There is also consistency across time and space in trap capture for P. interpunctella with traps in an open location consistently capturing high numbers of insects. In contrast, T. variabile lacked consistency in trap capture but were most often not found in the same trap locations as P. interpunctella. Fumigations conducted within the facility appeared to have little impact on insect captures inside, with dynamics appearing to be driven more by broader seasonal patterns in activity. These data and analyses suggest that there is a larger population of these insects that are readily moving in and out of the structures, while fumigation treatments are only impacting a small portion of the overall population and tactics targeting immigration may be an important addition to the pest management program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiple quarantine treatment was developed to control Hessian fly puparia, Mayetiola destructor (Say), the stage of regulatory concern in exported hay. In a commercial test using 51.589 puparia, no insects survived to the adult stage after exposure to bale compression at 137 kg/cm2 and fumigation with 61 g/28.3 m3 hydrogen phosphide for 3d. The puparia were fumigated in infested wheat seedlings in cloth bags inside compressed timothy bales placed in different locations in three replicate freight containers in a heated building. Fumigant concentrations were 345-522 ppm on day 1; 580-824 ppm on day 2; and 680-861 ppm on day 3. Monitored temperatures were < 20 degrees C in all locations allowing the fumigation temperature to be established at > or = 20 degrees C. Copper detection plate corrosion values were severe inside the freight container doors, and moderate in the middle of bales in all locations, providing visual confirmation of exposure to hydrogen phosphide. Hydrogen phosphide residues in exposed hay bales were found in trace amounts, below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tolerance of 0.1 ppm for animal feeds. Timothy hay used in the commercial test is the representative species for all previously exported hay and straw species. The new multiple quarantine treatment is proposed for use with all previously tested bale sizes and wrapper styles for which 3-d fumigation data has been reported, and for bales and wrappers derived from those tested.

The article comments on the use of large funds in fumigation of schoolrooms in the U.S. It has cited that the fumigation of schoolrooms periodically during vacations or irregularly after outbreaks of disease is expensive and worthless. The diseases which are most commonly spread at school are transmitted by fairly direct contact between children.

The article offers news briefs on issues related to education. 28 free kindergartens are being maintained by Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at an expense of $10,896. Fumigation is conducted in schoolrooms in Detroit, Michigan semi-annually to eliminate disease germs. A holiday was sanctioned by the Auckland Board of Education in New Zealand at the Okiahau school for an arbor day for the planting of trees and shrubs in the playground by scholars.