Contents Vol. 41
GENERAL AND APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
The Journal of the Entomological Society of New South Wales Inc.
VOLUME 41 CONTENTS
DOMINIAK, B.C., AIKEN, A., JIANG, L. and NICOL H. I. The effect of pupal size on the eclosion of Queensland fruit fly Bacterocera tryoni ……………………………… 33
Mass rearing facilities are used to produce many different species of fruit fly around the world for use in the Sterile Insect Technique. Facilities use standard tests to assess the quality of the sterile flies produced and to optimise the quality of flies distributed for release. A pupal sorter was used to assess the relationship between pupal weight and eclosion of the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) in four separate trials. Eclosion was significantly related to pupal size and to the day of larval hopping. The new genetic stock had significantly greater eclosion than the existing genetic colony. Sorting the pupae twice did not result in significantly different weights in each collection chute. Percentage eclosion ranged from 66.56% to 94.75% during the four trials.
General and Applied Entomology 41: 33-38
EKMAN J. H., PRISTIJONO, P. and SPHOR, L, J. Effect of a short hot water treatment on thermal tolerance of Queensland fruit fly, Bacterocera tryoni (Froggatt) infesting Capsicum annuum cultivars ……………………………………………………….. 39
Capsicums and chillies (Capsicum annuum) grown on Australia’s east coast are vulnerable to infestation by Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni Froggatt) (Qfly). The fruit must be treated to ensure it is free of this pest before transport to fruit fly free markets interstate and internationally. Cold storage offers a relatively cheap and easily applied disinfestation option, but has not been recommended for C. annuum cultivars because the fruit is chilling sensitive. Recently it has been shown that a short hot water shower (HWS) can reduce chilling sensitivity, allowing fruit to be stored at 3°C. In this trial we examined whether a 60 second shower under 55°C water affected mortality of Qfly eggs and larvae in C. annuum cultivars stored at 3°C. Differences between the life stages were observed, with 1st instar larvae being the most cold tolerant overall. The HWS alone caused significant mortality to all life stages, the most mature larvae proving most susceptible. Treatment significantly reduced the time at 3°C required to induce 90% mortality in 1st, 2nd and 3rd instar larvae although eggs were less affected. No eggs or larvae survived more than 7 days at 3°C, regardless of treatment or variety. It is proposed that storing capsicums and chillies for 10 days at 3°C can provide a high level of quarantine security against Qfly, irrespective of whether the fruit is first subjected to a HWS treatment.
General and Applied Entomology 41: 39-47
HANGAY, G. Additional information to nine specimens in the Coleoptera collection of the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service New South Wales ………………………………………………………………………… 1
In 2004 some comparative material was sourced by AQIS from the Hungarian Natural History Museum. Amongst the specimens there were nine beetles with some interesting history that could not be gleaned from the data labels alone. Extra information was obtained through personal communication with Hungarian colleagues and from written references. The aim of this paper is to share this knowledge with those interested in the history of entomology.
General and Applied Entomology 41: 1-3
HERRON, G.A., LANGFIELD, B.J. and WILSON, L. J. A new discriminating dose to monitor diafenthiuron (CGA-140408) resistance in cotton aphid Aphis gossypii (Glover) (Hemiptera: Aphidae) ……………………………………………………………………………….. 17
During the nine year interval spanning the 1999 to 2008 cotton growing seasons monitoring of Aphis gossypii Glover populations for resistance failed to identify survivors of the discriminating dose of diafenthiuron (CGA-140408). In 2009-2010, although a significant 4.9 fold (95% CI 2.0-12.0) increase in response relative to a reference susceptible strain (potential resistance) was detected in one population, it was not associated with field control failure. Moreover, the dose required to kill all aphids in laboratory bioassays did not change with selection, nor did the proportion of aphids capable of surviving the discriminating dose increase, and the level of field resistance did not increase over the next two seasons. Ultimately, the detection of field survivors brings into question the validity of the discriminating dose rather than heralding the development of resistance. In 2011-2012 aphid populations were monitored using a diagnostic dose of 0.03 g L-1 (double the previous dose) and no survivors were detected.
General and Applied Entomology 41: 17-20
IL’ICHEV, A., REINKE, M. D., WILLIAMS, D. G. and GUT, L. Performance of membrane dispensers for combined mating disruption of oriental fruit moth Grapholita molesta (Busck) and codling moth Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in pears ………………………………………………………………. 5
Codling moth (CM) and oriental fruit moth (OFM) are very important orchard pests both worldwide and in Australia where they severely damage pome fruit in the State of Victoria. Codling moth and OFM have been controlled by pheromone-mediated mating disruption with reasonable success, but treating pome fruit with full registered rates of separate, hand-applied dispensers for CM and OFM could be labour intensive and uneconomical for growers. Field trials were conducted to compare Disrupt CM/OFM COMBO pheromone dispensers, designed to simultaneously disrupt both CM and OFM with Disrupt CM and Disrupt OFM dispensers applied individually for the control of CM and OFM in pears. The application of combined and individual species dispensers on pears reduced moth catches and fruit damage of both species to a similar level. The OFM control, in particular, was significantly more effective than the untreated control. These results suggest that combined control of CM and OFM in pears by applying Disrupt CM/OFM COMBO dispensers at the full-recommended rate of 500 dispensers per hectare could be reasonably effective on pears if the pest population is low, but the release characteristics of these dispensers indicate the potential for poor control under higher pest pressure situations.
General and Applied Entomology 41: 5-15
PILKINGTON, L. J., CRAMPTON, K. and SPHOR, L. J. Evaluation of Agri-colle® for controlling Trialeurodes vaporariorum in tomato and cucumber and Tetranychus urticae in cucumber ……………………………………………………………………………… 27
The efficacy of the biorational product Agri-Colle was assessed against the common greenhouse tomato pests Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Tetranychus urticae. Greenhouse trials showed that control of juveniles and pupae of T. vaporariorum in tomatoes and cucumbers was achieved with rates of 1.5 ml/L and 3.0 ml/L of Agri-Colle with significant reductions when compared to a water control. Numbers of T. urticae were significantly reduced with an application rate of 3.0 ml/L of Agri-Colle when compared to a water control on cucumbers.
General and Applied Entomology 41: 27-32
RYAN, R. F and DE LIMA, C.P.F. Overview of ethyl formate – 85 years as a fumigant ………………………………………………………….. 49
Among the earliest published information on the use of ethyl formate (EF) was its effectiveness against insects in dried fruits, published in 1925. This was followed up in 1933 with a method for mixing C02 with EF to limit flammability. Since 1980 the successful use of EF to fumigate insects infesting stored cereals has been reported in India and Australia. The relatively recent registration of commercial formulations of EF has made it more widely available for use in agriculture. Over the past 12 years ethyl formate has been found effective in controlling a variety of insects in citrus, grapes, strawberries, bananas and sweet corn in addition to stored cereals, pulses and fodder crops. While the initial EF commercial treatment of sultanas has continued over the years, new EF applications have been limited because of high treatment costs with cereal grains and phytotoxicity issues with fresh produce. Innovations are required to reduce cereal grain application costs to take advantage of the niche fumigation application of phosphine resistant [Cryptolestes sp.] insects in stored grain. While EF treatment cost is not an issue with high value fresh produce, significant R and D is required to determine the “window” which allows treatment efficacy while avoiding any phytotoxicity.
General and Applied Entomology 41: 49-54
WEBB, C.E., IRONSIDE, A. and MANSFIELD, S. A comparison of oviposition preference in the presence of three aquatic plants by the mosquitoes Culex annulirostris (Skuse) and Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera: Culicidae) in laboratory tests ……. 21
Constructed wetlands are becoming more common in New South Wales as they are a key element of Water Sensitive Urban Design within new residential and industrial developments. As well as providing waste-water management, wildlife conservation, or improved amenity, they may also inadvertently enhance local habitats for mosquitoes. The diversity and abundance of aquatic macrophytes has been identified as a predictor of mosquito abundance but there is a paucity of information on species-specific mosquito-plant associations. The aim of this study was to determine whether two pest mosquito species, Culex annulirostris and Culex quinquefasciatus exhibited an ovipositional preference when exposed to three aquatic plant species (Salvinia molesta, Eichhornia crassipes, and Cyperus haspens) in laboratory tests. Significantly more egg rafts were laid in association with S. molesta than either E. crassipes or C. haspens by Cx. annulirostris. This result suggests that control of S. molesta may reduce the suitability of habitats for mosquitoes. There was no significant difference in the mean number of egg rafts laid by Cx. quinquefasciatus in association with the three plant species. These results highlight the need for appropriate management of aquatic weeds in wetlands to ensure the environmental and human health risks are minimised.
General and Applied Entomology 41: 21-26