Insecticidal gel bait for the decimation of Ctenolepisma longicaudatum (Zygentoma: Lepismatidae) populations in libraries, museums, and archives

The problem of bristletail Ctenolepisma longicaudatum (Zygentoma: Lepismatidae) in libraries, archives, and museums is increasing. It can cause damage to valuable and irreplaceable objects. We describe the effect of the use of insecticidal gel bait (active ingredient: indoxacarb) against C. longicaudatum populations in three libraries, seven archives, and seven museums in Norway and Austria. Pest activity was monitored with sticky traps to evaluate the effect of bait application. Significant declines in pest populations were observed at all locations when small bait droplets were applied either systematically throughout the buildings or strategically close to suspected aggregations. In addition, bait was successfully used to prevent infestation in a new museum building. The cost of treatment, measured by the amount of bait and work hours spent, was low, and bait application was conducted by either the professional pest control technicians or the local integrated pest management (IPM) manager. The use of insecticidal gel bait and its secondary effects is a cost-efficient alternative for population decimation; moreover, the method has a low probability of negative health issues for employees at the treated localities or damage to the objects. The application of bait is discussed in relation to its alignment with other IPM methods in libraries, archives, and museums

Mass trapping of the blowfly Calliphora vicina Diptera Calliphoridae in Norwegian stockfish production areas : lure development, damage reduction, and pest species phenology

Rødkinnet spyflue (Calliphora vicina) er et alvorlig skadedyr i norsk tørrfiskproduksjon. I dårlige år forårsaker insektene et økonomisk tap som overskrider 10 millioner kroner. Problemene oppstår når fluene legger egg på tørrfisken og larvene utvikles i fiskekjøttet. Fordi larvebefengt fisk ikke er et salgbart produkt, medfører spyfluene et direkte tap for norske tørrfiskprodusenter. For å redusere skadeomfanget har det blitt utviklet feller med lukt og farge som er attraktive for fluene. Fellene har blitt testet i produksjonsområder for tørrfisk over en fireårsperiode. Massefangstforsøkene viser en klar reduksjon i skade sammenlignet med kontrollområder der bekjemping ikke har foregått. 25-50 % av spyflueskadene på tørrfisk kan elimineres ved hjelp av disse fellene. Ved hjelp av adferdsstudier i vindtunnel har attraktive luktstoffer blitt identifisert. Disse enkeltstoffene har videre blitt kombinert for å lage et syntetisk lokkemiddel som er nesten like tiltrekkende som spyfluenes naturlige ressurs – døde dyr. Lokkemiddelet brukes i rusefeller. Spyfluene viser også økt landing på gult og hvitt. Dette har blitt utnyttet i form av limfeller tilpasset forholdene i produksjonsområdene. Bruk av kontrast, i kombinasjon med lukt, kan øke fangsteffektiviteten i forhold til de skadegjørende hunnfluene. Livssyklusstudier i laboratoriet og feltundersøkelser av spyfluer i Lofoten har bidratt til økt forståelse av fluenes overvintringsstrategi og sesongaktivitet. Denne kunnskapen har bidratt til å forstå effekten av massefangst på fluebestandene og til å gi anbefalninger om optimalisering av bekjempingsstrategiene. Ved riktig bruk av de to felletypene holdes arbeidsmengden på et akseptabelt nivå, samtidig som man får god fangsteffekt. Undersøkelsene er gjennomført ved Nasjonalt folkehelseinstitutt og Bioforsk plantehelse

Development of a Poisoned Bait Strategy against the Silverfish Ctenolepisma longicaudata (Escherich, 1905)

Pest management strives to be an efficient, yet healthy and environmentally safe control method, and the use of poisoned bait often fulfils these criteria. In the present study, we show that bait with indoxacarb as the active ingredient is highly efficient for controlling Ctenolepisma longicaudata (Escherich, 1905) and two of its relatives, Lepisma saccharina (Linnaeus, 1758) and Ctenolepisma calva (Ritter, 1910). Applying small bait droplets (size ~10 mg) along the walls of several types of buildings, at no more than 0.5 to 1.0 g bait per 100 m2, was a cost-efficient and safe strategy for the knockdown and eradication of C. longicaudata. During field experiments, the demography changed from an initial mixture of different stages to total dominance of early instars preceding the population collapse. Poisonous bait outcompeted mass-trapping with sticky-traps and conventional insect spray treatment for the efficient control of C. longicaudata in apartments. Different droplet densities (1 vs. 0.5/m2) and active ingredients (indoxacarb vs. clothianidin) did not have different effects in field experiments. These results show that poisoned bait is a highly relevant tool for managing C. longicaudata and potentially against other silverfish infestations

A Wind Tunnel for Odor Mediated Insect Behavioural Assays

Olfaction is the most important sensory mechanism by which many insects interact with their environment and a wind tunnel is an excellent tool to study insect chemical ecology. Insects can locate point sources in a three-dimensional environment through the sensory interaction and sophisticated behavior. The quantification of this behavior is a key element in the development of new tools for pest control and decision support. A wind tunnel with a suitable flight section with laminar air flow, visual cues for in-flight feedback and a variety of options for the application of odors can be used to measure complex behaviour which subsequently may allow the identification of attractive or repellent odors, insect flight characteristics, visual-odor interactions and interactions between attractants and odors lingering as background odors in the environment. A wind tunnel holds the advantage of studying the odor mediated behavioural repertoire of an insect in a laboratory setting. Behavioural measures in a controlled setting provide the link between the insect physiology and field application. A wind tunnel must be a flexible tool and should easily support the changes to setup and hardware to fit different research questions. The major disadvantage to the wind tunnel setup described here, is the clean odor background which necessitates special attention when developing a synthetic volatile blend for field application.A Wind Tunnel for Odor Mediated Insect Behavioural AssayspublishedVersio

A Wind Tunnel for Odor Mediated Insect Behavioural Assays

Olfaction is the most important sensory mechanism by which many insects interact with their environment and a wind tunnel is an excellent tool to study insect chemical ecology. Insects can locate point sources in a three-dimensional environment through the sensory interaction and sophisticated behavior. The quantification of this behavior is a key element in the development of new tools for pest control and decision support. A wind tunnel with a suitable flight section with laminar air flow, visual cues for in-flight feedback and a variety of options for the application of odors can be used to measure complex behaviour which subsequently may allow the identification of attractive or repellent odors, insect flight characteristics, visual-odor interactions and interactions between attractants and odors lingering as background odors in the environment. A wind tunnel holds the advantage of studying the odor mediated behavioural repertoire of an insect in a laboratory setting. Behavioural measures in a controlled setting provide the link between the insect physiology and field application. A wind tunnel must be a flexible tool and should easily support the changes to setup and hardware to fit different research questions. The major disadvantage to the wind tunnel setup described here, is the clean odor background which necessitates special attention when developing a synthetic volatile blend for field application