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To evaluate the attractiveness of several mushroom-growing substrates to the female mushroom fly Lycoriella ingenua ( Dufour) ( Diptera: Sciaridae), a pest of the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus ( JE Lange) Emil J Imbach (Agaricales), we developed a two-choice, static-flow olfactometer. Behavioral assays using this olfactometer indicated that mushroom compost with A. bisporus mycelia growing in it was not more attractive than compost lacking growing mycelia. We also found that female flies were more attracted to compost lacking A. bisporus mycelia than to the actual commodity, the white button mushroom fruiting bodies. Flies were not, however, attracted to sterilized compost, suggesting the attraction is due to volatiles produced by microbial metabolism in the compost. We also found that female L. ingenua flies were attracted to the mycoparasitic green mold Trichoderma aggressivum Samuels & W Gams (Hypocreales). Flies preferred mushroom compost that had T. aggressivum growing in it over compost lacking T. aggressivum, providing an experimental outcome consistent with the anecdotal belief that L. ingenua flies are vectors of T. aggressivum spores that can infest mushroom-growing houses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discoloration of the leaves of unhealthy pomegranate trees, caused by the Coleopteran species Amphicerus bimaculatus (Olivier, 1790), was found in a newly planted pomegranate orchard in April 2011 in northern Greece (Vrontou area). Identification of the species was based on morphological characteristics. This report is the first record of A. bimaculatus in Greece infesting pomegranate trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Venturia canescens is a parthenogenetic koinobiont endoparasitoid of several pyralid moth larvae that are major pests of stored products. Low temperatures have been extensively used to control stored-product insects as an alternative to the application of traditional pesticides. However, most studies have focused on the cold hardiness profile of the major stored-product pests. The objective of this study was to investigate how factors such as age, food, host availability and acclimation affect the cold tolerance of V. canescens by determining its supercooling capacity. Results Young adults displayed significantly lower supercooling points ( SCPs) than older adults, irrespective of the availability of a host. Host availability had a moderate effect on supercooling, whereas food consumption resulted in a significant enhancement of SCP. Acclimation to low temperatures increased the supercooling capacity considerably. Furthermore, an increase in the duration of exposure to acclimation temperature resulted in lower SCPs. Conclusion Adults of V. canescens displayed an enhanced ability to supercool, however, they appear to be less cold tolerant than their respective hosts. This information would be useful in determining the potential of using V. canescens as a biological agent in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, taking into consideration the adverse effects of low temperatures on its survival. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the biology of Culex species is crucial to understanding their role in arbovirus transmission and for the development of efficient control strategies. Assessments of survival, development, adult longevity, fecundity and egg hatching of Culex pipiens form 'molestus' (Forsskål), were conducted, under nine constant and fluctuating temperatures ranging from 15 to 35 ± 0.5°C. Higher survival rates were observed at constant temperature of 25°C as well as fluctuating with the same mean. Complete mortality occurred at 35°C in both constant and fluctuating temperature regimes. Development rate from egg to adult increased between 15 and 32.5°C, in a linear fashion. Adult longevity ranged from 1.4 d at 32.5°C to 73.5 d at 15°C. Females lived significantly longer compared to males at all temperature regimes with the exception of constant 32.5°C where adult longevity was similar between males and females. Fecundity was higher at moderate constant and fluctuating temperatures compared to high temperatures, where females laid a significantly smaller number of eggs. Likewise, egg hatching was significantly lower at the highest tested temperature regimes compared to low and moderate ones. The lowest developmental thresholds of the species in different developmental stages ranged between 11.17 and 11.95°C at constant temperatures and between 11.09 and 12.74°C at fluctuating ones. Differences between constant and fluctuating temperatures were observed concerning developmental time, fecundity, and male adult longevity at the two lowest tested temperatures, highlighting the importance of testing also fluctuating temperatures that simulate field conditions., (© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)