The role of dilution mediums in studies of fumigant insecticidal activity of essential oils

The essential oils (EOs) are volatile plant extracts that are commonly considered as potential biopesticides. They present promising properties as relatively safe and potent insecticides, primarily delivered via fumigation. Such specificity of the EOs has led to the growing interest of researchers and, subsequently, to an increasing body of publications. The studies focusing on assessing the insecticidal action of EOs frequently require testing the effects of several dilutions of a given EO. To this end, researchers employ a range of solvents differing widely between the studies. While informative, the standardization concerning either tested oil or pest species is lacking in these studies. The presented study herein aimed to test whether the solvent used could affect the observed insecticidal activity of tested EO. As the model setup for studying the possible influence of solvents on the insecticidal effect of EOs, two EOs: mint and rosemary were chosen. The EOs were applied in fumigation assay against three economically important species of stored product pests: Callosobruchus maculatus, Sitophilus oryzae, and Tribolium castaneum. Each EO was tested in three concentrations—diluted with a range of solvents; dimethyl sulfoxide, acetone, methanol, ethanol, paraffin (mineral) oil, ultrapure water with 0.1% polysorbate 20 ( TWEEN® 20). The results confirm the hypothesis that the applied solvent could significantly alter the observed efficiency of tested EO. Such a result is of crucial value for conducting credible meta-analysis as well as for establishing a high standard of reproducibility

The Effect of Rosmarinus officinalis Essential Oil Fumigation on Biochemical, Behavioral, and Physiological Parameters of Callosobruchus maculatus

This study explores the influence of rosemary, Rosmarinus o cinalis (L.) essential oil (EO) on the biochemical (acetylcholinesterase, catalase, and glutathione S-transferase), physiological (oxygen consumption), and behavioral (open field test, repellency) parameters of an important stored product insect: cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (F.). R. o cinalis EO exhibited e ective insecticidal action against C. maculatus even at relatively low concentrations. LC50 = 15.69 L/L air, and was highly repellent at concentrations equal to or above LC25. Statistically significant inhibition in locomotor activity occurred only after the acute exposure to the EO at LC12.5 and LC25. The oxygen consumption test showed metabolism increase only at LC50. An increase in activity was observed in the case of all three enzymes examined. The presented data provides a potentially valuable resource in designing more environmentally friendly and safer insecticide agents

The short-chain fatty acids as potential protective agents against Callosobruchus maculatus infestation

The cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus, is one of the most common pests of stored legumes. Its occurrence adversely affects the quality of stored beans, making them unfit for consumption, resulting in substantial financial losses. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential insecticidal properties of the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) (C1 – C5) and their influence on the insect’s physiology and behavior. All VFAs in concentrations equal to 4 μl and 8 μl showed fumigant toxicity significantly higher from the control. The strongest effect was observed in the case of propionic and valeric acid in volume of 4 μl and 8 μl, where mortality was close to 100%. Except for butyric acid, all acids showed a significant repellent effect. Additionally, all VFAs significantly decreased the number of infested beans and influenced the locomotor activity. Of all tested acids only the formic acid did not affect the oxygen consumption of the insects. As the studied VFAs have noteworthy properties against C. maculatus, they could be considered as promising agents in new strategies for stored products pest management

Genus Claviger Preyssler, 1790 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) in the Low Beskid Mts. (Poland) – new sites and host affiliation

In the area of Poland there occur two species of the genus: Claviger longicornis P.W.J. Müller, 1818 and Claviger testaceus Preyssler, 1790. Both species are rare in Poland. Beetles of the genus Claviger are specialized myrmecophiles and are dependent on their host ants throughout the whole life cycle. During the field research, which were conducted in the Low Beskid Mts. (South - Eastern Poland), new sites of both species were found. C. longicornis was recorded in a colony of Lasius sabularum (Bondroit, 1918) and this is the first record of this ant as host. In addition, population of this species in ant colony was extremely large and correlated in time with the presence of sexual generation of ants. Transfer of beetles into artificial nest of L. niger and an attempt of rearing in laboratory conditions was unsuccessfu and finished after 36 days. C. testaceus was recorded in a colony of Lasius flavus (Fabricius, 1781), which is the most common host of this species

Manica rubida (Latreille, 1802) i Camponotus fallax (Nylander, 1856) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) - gatunki nowe dla Beskidu Wschodniego

"Manica rubida (Latreille, 1802) jest jedynym przedstawicielem rodzaju Manica (Jurine,1807) w Europie. Gatunek oligotopowy występujący w górach (500-2000 m n.p.m.) Centralnej i Południowej Europy, Azji Mniejszej, Krymu i Kaukazu.Camponotus fallax (Nylander, 1856) to gatunek szeroko rozprzestrzeniony w Europie, Afryce Północnej, Kaukazie, Azji Mniejszej, Północno-zachodnim Kazachstanie. Wykazywany nawet w Zachodniej części Syberii. W Polsce spotykany rzadko, na całym obszarze Polski północnej i centralnej (pomijając pobrzeże Bałtyku)"

Does spatial navigation have a blind-spot? Visiocentrism is not enough to explain the navigational behavior comprehensively

Preparation of the manuscript was supported by the research grant 2015/19/B/HS1/03310 “Mechanisms of geometric cognition” funded by National Science Centre, Poland.In this paper, we argue that the issues described arise not because of the lack of theoretical inspiration, but rather due to an insufficient understanding of the subtleties of insect behavior. In our view, implementation of the insects’ models of navigation in the explanation of the vertebrates’ spatial behavior omits some important aspects, i.e., multimodal integration. Thus, we want to ask again the initial question posed by Wystrach and Graham (2012b) pointing out that significant progress in insects’ research, which suggests that we might have had underestimated insects’ cognitive abilities (Loukola et al., 2017; Peng and Chittka, 2017). Those results demonstrated insects’ capacity to obtain abstract information from multimodal input during complex tasks. Movement through a real environment provides a variety of cues, not only visual ones, thus in the following article we argue that multimodal integration is crucial to navigation.National Science Centre, Polan

Caffeine effects on AdoR mRNA expression in Drosophila melanogaster

In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether exposure to caffeine in the early stages of development affect AdoR mRNA expression levels in the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and how this will relate to the developmental success of flies. Adenosine receptors are seen as the most important biochemical targets of caffeine. Simultaneously adenosine signaling orchestrates the development and growth of insects. We demonstrate that AdoR mRNA expression in D. melanogaster is persistent from early stages till imago. Strong alterations in AdoR expression were observed in larvae that had been treated with caffeine. However, after the imaginal molt, the differences in AdoR expression between the insects from all of the test groups evened out despite a wide range of developmental success in the groups. Taken together, these results suggest that caffeine affects the expression of its cellular targets even from the early stages of fruit fly development and thus there is a significantly lower larvae-to-adult survival rate. Moreover, we also proved that the expression of AdoR undergoes a peculiar reset during the maturation of D. melanogaster despite the conditions in which larvae developed

Elastyczność psychologiczna

Psychological flexibility is a construct developed in the area of contextual behavioral science (CBS). The core of psychological flexibility is the ability to freely choose actions that are in accordance with one’s own goals and values, regardless of what thoughts, emotions and impressions are triggered by those activities (Hayes, Strosahl, Wilson, 2013). The concept of psychological flexibility has been introduced in the model comprising six key processes that promote its development and six opposite processes which lead to a lack of psychological flexibility. This model is the basis for the analysis of mental health and psychopathology as a part of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes et al., 2013) that belongs to the third wave of cognitive-behavioral therapies (Hayes, 2004).The psychological flexibility model can also be the basis for the analysis of psychological functioning in other areas. This book presents the results of research focused on Polish adaptation and validation of psychological tools measuring of all six psychological flexibility processes: • Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire-30, a measure of experiential avoidance, • White Bear Suppression Inventory, a measure of thought suppression (a component of experiential avoidance), • Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory, a measure of flexible contact with the present moment, • Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, a measure of cognitive fusion, • Self Experiences Questionnaire, a measure of self as a context, • Valuing Questionnaire, a measure of values, • Committed Action Questionnaire, a measure of committed action. Each of seven chapters addressing those tools includes a theoretical description of the measured construct, information on the origins and applicability of a given scale, a description of the procedure, results of Polish validation tests, and tips on how to apply and interpret the results obtained, as well as a test sheet that can be used in research or psychological practice.The adapted tools have good psychometric properties and form a coherent and complete set of methods that measure related constructs of psychological flexibility. They can be applied as a measure of key processes of the psychological flexibility model in research on general and clinical groups, in research evaluating effectiveness of psychological interventions based on the psychological flexibility model and also in therapeutic work with patients

Intergenerational transmission of resistance of Callosobruchus maculatus to essential oil treatment

Due to the rise of numerous legal restrictions as well as the increasing emergence of resistant populations, the number of available pesticides is decreasing significantly. One of the potential alternatives often described in the literature are essential oils (EOs). However, there is a lack of research addressing the potential emergence of resistance to this group of substances. In this paper, we investigated the multi-generational effects of sublethal concentrations of rosemary oil (Rosmarinus officinalis) on physiological and biochemical parameters of the cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus) such as egg laying, hatchability, oxygen consumption and acetylcholinesterase activity. Imago, which as larvae were exposed to EO at concentrations equivalent to LC25, showed significantly lower mortality. The results obtained indicate the potential development of resistance in insects exposed to EO in concentrations corresponding to LC25. In addition, in the case of the group treated with an EO concentration corresponding to LC3.12, a stimulation effect of the above-mentioned parameters was observed, which may indicate the occurrence of a hormesis effect. The obtained results may be an important reference for the development of future guidelines and EO-based insecticides

Repellent effect of volatile fatty acids on lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus)

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are a group of common metabolites and semiochemicals mediating information transfer between higher organisms and bacteria, either from microbiome or external environment. VFAs commonly occur among various insect orders. There are numerous studies exploring their influence on the behavior of different insect species. In relation to the papers published by J. E. McFarlane in 1985, we assessed the effects of formic, acetic, propionic, butyric and valeric acids on the spatial preference of the lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus), a common pest of stored food grain products and the poultry industry. The main aim of the presented study was to provide new angles in VFA research, recreating the classical study both with new methods and on economically significant pest species. This paper presents a novel method of continuous, simultaneous assessment of site preference and the travelled distance in a constant-flow olfactometer. All the tested VFAs, except valeric acid, had a significant repellent effect, with formic acid being effective even at the lowest used concentration. Additionally, the VFAs significantly altered the distance travelled by the insects. The obtained results indicate a potential role for VFAs in the olfactory guided behavior of A. diaperinus. It is suspected that the reaction to the presence of VFAs may deviate from the specificity of species’ original habitat