pest in Biological News

Ecological insect pest management for Guam

University of Guam scientist Dr. G. V. P. Reddy has been awarded a $60,000 grant from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program of the US Department of Agriculture. Dr. Reddy, a chemical ecologist and entomologist, has over 25 years of experience in entomological research a...

Almond pest management team to receive major award at ESA meeting

DAVIS--A University of California team that developed a successful insect pest management program for almond growers, leading to significant pesticide reduction, will be honored at the Entomological Society of America (ESA) annual meeting, Nov. 16-19 in Reno. The seven-member Almond Pest Mana...

Mustard -- hot stuff for natural pest control

Researchers, growers and Industry specialists from 22 countries are sharing the latest research into the use of Brassica species, such as mustard, radish, or rapeseed, to manage soil-borne pests and weeds a technique known as biofumigation. " Brassica plants naturally release compounds that ...

UCR-led research team uses tiny wasp to wipe out major agricultural pest in Tahiti

RIVERSIDE, Calif. A research team led by Mark Hoddle , a biological control specialist at UC Riverside, has nearly eradicated the glassy-winged sharpshooter , a major agricultural pest, from the island of Tahiti and several other French Polynesian islands in the South Pacific Ocean. To achieve ...

'Jekyll and Hyde' bacteria offer pest control clue

New research at York has revealed so-called Jekyll and Hyde bacteria, suggesting a novel way to control insect pests without using insecticides. Researchers at the University of York studied the relationship between plant-dwelling insects and the bacteria that live in them and discovered an un...

Restoring a natural root signal helps to fight a major corn pest

A longstanding and fruitful collaboration between researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology and the University of Neuchtel in Switzerland, together with contributions from colleagues in Munich and the US, has produced another first: the successful manipulation of a crop plant to...

URI researchers help score knockout punch on birch tree pest

KINGSTON, R.I. November 24, 2008 The United States has been under assault for decades by a wide variety of alien plants and animals, and it is not often that one of these aliens faces a counterpunch. But in a collaborative project with several other institutions, the University of Rhode Island ...

Oregano oil works as well as synthetic insecticides to tackle common beetle pest

New research in the Society of Chemical Industrys Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture shows that oregano oil works as well as synthetic insecticides to combat infestation by a common beetle, Rhizoppertha dominica, found in stored cereals. Not only does oregano oil work as well as syn...

New research to decode the genetic secrets of prolific potato pest

The full weight of a consortium of world-leading scientists including those who helped decode the entire human genome is being thrown at a parasitic worm less than 1mm long. The potato cyst nematode (PCN), Globodera pallida, attacks potato crops all over the world and is particularly devasta...

Stealth Worms May Improve Insect Pest Control

Nematodes comprise a worm family so large it literally covers the earth. They range in size from less than a micron in length to as much as 26 feet. Worldwide interest has begun to focus on microscopic nematodes that live with symbiotic bacteria. "We study these nematodes -- which are actually inse...

Ancient olfaction protein is shared by many bugs, offering new pest control target

In the battle against insect pests, new research indicates that it may all come down to the sense of smell. A group of Rockefeller University scientists who had previously identified a key gene essential for the sense of smell in fruit flies now shows that this gene's function appears to be evoluti...

Sustainable agriculture at the ESA Annual Meeting

...ems such as perennial grasses." Landscape diversity creates habitat for pest enemies Farmers spend millions of dollars each year on pesticides to kil... the pests themselves must also be considered. In the absence of predators, pest levels would likely rise even more dramatically. "By having complexity, ...

National assessment done on potential invasive snail and slug pests in US

...arleston in South Carolina, and two U.S. Department of Agriculture invasive pest experts, David G. Robinson and James W. Smith. The evaluation of snail...al agriculture inspection officials, in their efforts to keep such invasive pest species out of the country. "The study is preliminary because of the ser...

Evolution of a contraceptive for sea lamprey

...m at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine may lead to a contraceptive for female lampreys a jawless fish considered an invasive pest species in the Great Lakes region of the United States. This could prove important to the Great Lakes region, where lampreys aggressively consume tr...

Natural seed treatment could drastically cut pesticide use

...mical naturally produced by plant leaves when attacked by insects - reduces pest attack. But crops treated with the chemical don't grow as well as those tha...tant agricultural crops in the US. Their results showed clear reductions in pest damage with increased crop yields, and has led to the company negotiating a...

UGA licenses new Bermuda grass that thrives in sun and shade

... in major sports stadiums. Hanna has spearheaded the screening of Bermudagrass for hybrids that naturally deter mole crickets, the No. 1 lawn and turf pest in the Southeast. He and his research team have been awarded seven patents. New Concept Turf, a Georgia-based company specializing in marketing ne...

New phorid fly species turns red imported fire ants into 'zombies'

..., their movements under the control of the parasite. Then their heads fall off and the parasite emerges," said Ludwig, , AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist. Previously released phorid flies only preyed on ants in disturbed mounds. In contrast, the species, Pseudacteon obtusus, tha...

Camphor-containing products may cause seizures in children

...ss, camphor products without proper or complete labeling are widely available and commonly used for medicinal, spiritual and aromatic purposes and for pest control, especially in the Hispanic community. The Einstein researchers report on three cases of camphor-associated seizures in children seen in th...

IPM reduces cockroaches and allergens in schools

...n North Carolina Schools: Comparison of Integrated pest Management and Conventional Cockroach Control" shows that using integrated pest management (IPM) to control cockroaches is more ef...g that the two school districts using conventional pest control quickly made the switch to IPM." The au...

Symposia selected for Entomological Society of America meeting

...: Celebrating over 120 Years of Regulatory pest Control: Social, Political, Legal, and Biological ...he Study of Social Insects BCE Symposium: Green pest Management Technology Building Sustainable Urba... Current and Emerging Trends in Vegetable Insect pest Management DoD Entomology: Unique Opportunities...

Climate change may wake up 'sleeper' weeds

...r climate change. Will their distributions change? Will they spread north or south, east or west, and will these movements change them into full-blown pest species?" A recent CSIRO report for the Australian Government's Land and Water Australia looked at what effects climate changes anticipated for 203...

American Chemical Society Weekly PressPac -- April 1, 2009

...rch Researchers are reporting the first identification of a "magic potion" of proteins in the saliva of the black fly that help this blood-sucking pest spread parasites that cause "river blindness," a devastating eye-disease. A better understanding of these proteins may lead to better drugs and a vacc...

Pest management specialist Charles Summers wins prestigious Woodworth Award

...ia entomologist whose career spans 39 years in the pest management of field and vegetable crops, is the wi...cific Branch president Walt Bentley, an integrated pest management specialist at Kearney Agricultural Cen...Throughout his career, Summers has worked to solve pest problems impacting California agriculture. He has ...

Smithsonian scientist warns that palm oil development may threaten Amazon

...s promoted by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, an industry-led initiative to improve its environmental performance. These include using natural pest control and composting in place of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers whenever possible, implementing no-burn policies and creating catchment ponds ...

Doubling a gene in corn results in giant biomass

...vantage to growing sugar corn for biomass rather than switchgrass or miscanthus is that sugar corn is an annual. Moose said that if it would attract a pest or develop a disease, farmers could rotate a different crop the next year. Moose said that sugar corn might make a good transition crop. "We thi...

Doubling a gene in corn results in giant biomass

...vantage to growing sugar corn for biomass rather than switchgrass or miscanthus is that sugar corn is an annual. Moose said that if it would attract a pest or develop a disease, farmers could rotate a different crop the next year. Moose said that sugar corn might make a good transition crop. "We thi...

Study finds hemlock trees dying rapidly, affecting forest carbon cycle

...alachian region, is already experiencing widespread decline and mortality because of hemlock woolly adelgid (a tiny nonnative insect) infestation. The pest has the potential to kill most of the region's hemlock trees within the next decade. As a native evergreen capable of maintaining year-round transpira...

Toxicology program features wide range of human health and environment topical sessions

...y is a relatively new concern for toxicologists as a result of the incorporation of novel proteins into food crops as a way of promoting resistance to pest and other stresses, improve nutrition or otherwise modify the crop. There is growing concern that the introduction of a novel protein into the food su...

Results of national nursery survey unveiled

...sery rooting media systems, irrigation, native plant production, integrated pest management, brokerage, production contracting, and computerization. In-dept... in other regions. The Southeast region was found to practice integrated pest management more prevalently due to the warm and humid conditions. Most regi...

Host shift triggers cascading effect on ecosystem, research finds

...wasp is derived from one of the other wasp populations and has rapidly evolved into this new race." In its larval form, the apple maggot is a major pest of apples throughout the United States. Other Rhagoletis species attack cherries, walnuts and blueberries. The female apple maggot fly deposits her e...

New paper offers key insights into how new species emerge

...lant, apple flies are becoming genetically distinct and reproductively isolated from hawthorn flies. The apple race of Rgagoletis flies is now a major pest of apples in the United States and is the proverbial "worm in the apple." Every new opportunity opens a world for others, however. The Notre Dame res...

Methyl bromide alternatives indicated for North Carolina tomato production

...rations are conducted, complimented with public and private technical support and extension, it is anticipated that growers will implement alternative pest management practices on larger acreage, moving toward greater reliance on one or more of the alternatives documented in this study", they concluded. ...

BioScience tip sheet, February 2009

...vement over more widely used numerical simulation models. Connectivity of the American Agricultural Landscape: Assessing the National Risk of Crop pest and Disease Spread. Margaret L. Margosian, Karen A. Garrett, J. M. Shawn Hutchinson, and Kimberly A. With. A graphical analysis of the connectiv...

UC Davis research shows that newly discovered drug reduces heart enlargement

... "When that occurs, a key enzyme called soluble epoxide hydrolase is increased." The initial research on the enzyme sprang from studies on insect pest control in the Hammock lab. "This enzyme," Chiamvimonvat said, "degrades anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive factors normally in the heart and...

Diverse landscapes are better: Policymakers urged to think broadly about biofuel crops

...is research estimates the value of this biological pest control service in soybeans (in the four states) t...s likely to reduce the value of natural control of pest insects by beneficial insects," said Scott Swinton...creage will probably mean higher costs for soybean pest control. Beneficial insects help control pests so ...

Another reason to drink a nice cup of shade-grown joe

... biodiversity," Jha said. "Many studies have shown that conserving native biodiversity in agricultural systems can actually benefit cropsby preventing pest outbreaks and providing native pollinator services. Our study shows that agricultural crops can also benefit native trees living across the landscape....

American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- Dec. 17, 2008

...ec. 15, 2008 Protecting the trees of Christmas future Chemical & Engineering News The trees of Christmas future may be safer from an insect pest that makes Ebenezer Scrooge's famous nightmare pale in comparison killing millions of pine trees, according to an scheduled for the December 22 issue...

13 UCR faculty members recognized by American Association for the Advancement of Science

... Johnson, an extension specialist in entomology and a UCR alumnus: "For distinguished contributions to the fields of biological control and integrated pest management, particularly for the development of more environmentally friendly arthropod management programs." Cynthia K. Larive, a professor of chem...

Purdue study suggests warmer temperatures could lead to a boom in corn pests

...bstantial impacts through decreased yields and increased costs for seed and pest management." Diffenbaugh collaborated with Purdue professors Christian K...nd and a limited supply, even small reductions in yield, for example from a pest expanding its range by 60 miles, could result in substantial economic and s...

Diverse landscapes are better: Policymakers urged to think broadly about biofuel crops

...is research estimates the value of this biological pest control service in soybeans (in the four states) t...s likely to reduce the value of natural control of pest insects by beneficial insects," said Scott Swinton...creage will probably mean higher costs for soybean pest control. Beneficial insects help control pests so ...