Survey for Parasitic Honey Bee Mites in Hawaii (Acariformes: Tarsonemidae; Parasitiformes: Laelapidae, Varroidae)

Scientific note.A survey was conducted in Hawaii to determine the presence of three mite pests of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.): Acarapis woodi (Rennie), Tropilaelaps clareae Delfinado & Baker, and Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman. A total of 837 random samples were taken from managed and feral bee colonies on the islands of Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii. No mites were found in any of the samples. Data were analyzed employing the binomial distribution as a likelihood function. Results showed that there was a 99% probability that the unknown prevalence of mite infestation within the Hawaii honey bee population would be no greater than 0.55%. Thus, Hawaii can be considered to be free of parasitic honey bee mites at the present time

Population Performance of Thrips palmi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on Cucumber Infected with a Mosaic Virus

Densities of larval, adult, and total populations of melon thrips, Thrips palmi Karny, a nonvector, were significantly higher on leaves of cucumber infected with watermelon mosaic virus 1 than on healthy cucumber leaves. Diseased leaves were also significantly smaller and contained lower levels of nitrogen than healthy leaves. Possible mechanisms affecting the thrips population differences between infected and healthy plants are discussed

Introductions for Biological Control in Hawaii, 1987–1996

Introductions and liberations of natural enemies for the biological control of agricultural and forest pests in Hawaii are presented for the period 1987–1996. A total of 24 arthropod and 2 fungal species were released or re-released (augmentation) by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture for the control of 4 weeds (Clidemia hirta, Coccinia grandis, Passiflora mollissima, and Ulex europaeus) and 9 insect pests (Bemisia argentifolii, Brontispa chalybeipennis, Elasmopalpus lignosellus, Frankliniella occidentalis, Heteropsylla cubana, Liriomyza spp., Nezara viridula, Plutella xylostella, and Sipha flava)

Origin and Evolutionary History of the Honeybees Apis

The fossil record, in general, presents a severely limited and unrepresentative sample of past life. Only about 130 000 fossil species, representing less than 3% of the probable total number of organisms that have ever lived, have been described and named. This dearth of material is a consequence of the fossilization process: not all organisms have; an equal chance of becoming fossilized, and not all geological environments are equally favourable to the production of fossils. About 12 000 fossil insect species are known, the oldest being of Devonian age (the major divisions of geological time are presented in Table 1). The scarcity of fossil specimens, in this largest class of animals, reflects the fact that insects generally occupy habitats that are not conducive to their preservation as fossils. But despite its inherent deficiencies, the fossil record does provide valuable information on the histories of certain insect groups, among them the bees. Preservation of fossil bees has often been excellent. Many specimens have come to light, such as those embedded in amber, with important morphological characters well displayed, a circumstance permitting the determination of systematic and evolutionary relationships with some measure of confidence. The present article summarizes available evidence, from the fossil record and other sources, for the probable origin and evolution, in geological time, of one particular group of bees: members of the honeybee genus Apis. It represents a first attempt to bring together the sometimes ambiguous and conflicting findings from a rather scant literature on the subject, and from them to present a reasonably coherent and plausible picture of honeybee evolutionary history

Geological History and Evolution of the Honey Bee

The honey bee genus Apis exhibits a history of respectable extent, being first recognized in geological deposits of Oligocene age. Earliest known species of honey bee had apparently acquired fully eusocial behavior, as indicated in their resemblance to modern worker bees. The geographic area of origin and early evolution of the group is thought to be centered in the Oriental region, particularly in the vicinity of the Indian sub-continent. Chromosomal changes and selective pressures accompanying the development of eusociality may have played an important role in the origin and evolution of the genus. There is some evidence for a decline in the number of honey bee species over the course of the Cenozoic era, resulting, perhaps, from a widespread cooling of climate. The modern, domesticated species A. mellifera, well-known to beekeepers, is of relatively recent origin, dating from the Pleistocene epoch

Introductions for Biological Control in Hawaii 1997–2001

Introductions and releases of natural enemies for the biological control of agricultural and forest pests in Hawaii are discussed for the period 1997-2001. Sixteen insect and five fungal species were introduced, released, or redistributed by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture for the control of six weeds (Clidemia hirta, Coccinia grandis, Miconia calvescens, Myrica faya, Senecio madagascariensis, and Ulex europaeus) and four insect pests (Aleurocanthus woglumi, Bemisia argentifolii, Pentalonia nigronervosa, and Sipha flava)

Wood Packaging Material as a Pathway for the Movement of Exotic Insect Pests into and within the Greater Caribbean Region

Pallets, crates, and dunnage made of wood are commonly used packaging materials in international trade. Our objective was to use data collected by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to discuss the current role of wood packaging material (WPM) in the movement of pest species into and within the Greater Caribbean Region. For both maritime and air cargo, significant differences were found between countries of origin in terms of the percentage of shipments that contain WPM. A list of species intercepted on WPM at U.S. ports-of-entry after full enforcement of the international standard ISPM 15, as well as a list of species associated with WPM that have the potential to establish in the Greater Caribbean Region, are presented