A Life History Study of Caecilius Aurantiacus (Hagen) (Psocoptera: Caeciliidae)

Caecilius aurantiacus is a common, widely distributed psocid in well established forested areas of North America. Published information on this species is fragmentary and limited primarily to taxonomy. This paper is a description of the habits and biology of this small, little-known, but common insect. Of the 212 named species in the genus Caecilius (Smithers, 1967), the bionomics of only Caecilius manteri have been published

Psocids from Malta (Insecta: Psocodea: ‘Psocoptera’), with new synonymy for Peripsocus stagnivagus based on the discovery of its first Palaearctic male

About 2,000 specimens of Psocoptera were collected in Malta recently. Examination of this material revealed 21 new re-cords for the Maltese archipelago, augmenting the known psocid fauna of these islands from 6 to 27 species. One of the most abundant species is Peripsocus stagnivagus Chapman, 1930 (= P. bivari Baz, 1988 = P. leleupi Badonnel, 1976, new synonymies), formerly considered to be a predominantly Nearctic species. The discovery in Malta, of one male of this usually parthenogenetic species enabled comparison of this first Palaearctic male with the well-documented, rare Nearctic male. The lack of any morphological difference between these males, or between females from the Nearctic, the western Palaearctic and several Atlantic islands, supports the proposed synonymies.peer-reviewe

Psocoptera (Insecta: Psocodea) from the National Natural Park Gorgona, Cauca, Colombia

The Psocoptera fauna of Gorgona National Natural Park, Colombian pacific, consists of 75 species in 42 genera and 21 families. 1 730 specimens were collected in the period November 2007-June 2011. Five families, 20 genera and nine species are new records for Colombia, and two genera and ten species are new to science. The psocid fauna of the island constitutes an extension of the continental fauna

Integrated grain storage - technology transfer for organic farming

The attached document is the final report of the Defra Project OF0176. Demand for organic grain continues to grow and currently in the UK much has to be imported to satisfy the market. Expansion of UK production, together with continued imports, will see an increase in the need for effective grain storage using organic methods to preserve the quality of this valuable commodity. The objectives of this project were to conduct a desk study review to: 1) Highlight the main grain storage problems experienced by organic growers in the UK. 2) Bring together in a more convenient form technical information already available that will enable growers to tackle these problems more successfully. 3) Identify areas of current storage technology requiring a minimum of modification to ensure a smooth transfer from the conventional to the organic sector. 4) Identify areas where appropriate organic alternatives to conventional storage procedures do not exist that will require further research and development to find replacements. The following have been identified as areas requiring further research and development that are likely to provide important opportunities for improving the storage of organic grain: • Store structure cleaning, including the effectiveness of vacuum cleaning and steam treatments, and the feasibility of using diatomaceous earths to control invertebrate pests. • Energy efficient drying and cooling systems, and consider the use of renewable energy sources including solar and wind power or the processing of waste products and energy crops. • More effective invertebrate pest monitoring through improvements in sampling strategies, together with enhanced trap design and the incorporation of lures. • Disinfestation using grain cleaners and hot air driers. • Biological control for store structure treatments. This will require work to assess the effectiveness of naturally occurring biological control agents to treat residual infestations hidden in empty grain store structures. Strategies will need to be developed to encourage the development and conservation of beneficial invertebrates in stores, including the possible use of natural semiochemicals to manipulate their behaviour. • Biological control for surface infestations of grain. As well as looking at the practicality of using top-dressing or bait trap application techniques to control grain surface infestations in cooled bins, there is a need to develop effective methods for the removal of beneficial invertebrates from the grain immediately before it is marketed. A more detailed Executive Summary can be found at the top of the main report

A Collection of Psocoptera from Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

A list of -1-3 species of Psocoptera from Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, includes 37 new state records and increases to 44 the number of species known from the state

Impact of pirimiphos-methyl and cold temperatures on arthropod populations in stored wheat

Appliqué à une concentration moyenne de 6,4 mg m.a. kg-1 à 5 t de ble (Triticum aestivum) dans un grenier du sud du Manitoba, l'insecticide pyrimiphos-méthyl est resté actif pendant plus de 24 mo. La plupart des insectes et des acariens qui vivaient dans le grain traité n'ont pu survivre, à l'exception d'un psoque, Liposcelis sp., ainsi que les acariens Tarsonemus granarius et Aeroglyphus robustus, dont les populations ont été considérablement réduites par rapport à celles qui vivaient dans du blé non traité. À 1 m de profondeur, la concentration en résidus de l'insecticide a diminué de 52% en 12 mo, passant de 8,1 mg kg-1 à 4,0 mg kg-1 puis est restée stable jusqu'à la fin de la période de 24 mo. La teneur en humidité du grain à cette profondeur était constamment supérieure (plus de 14%) à celle mesurée en surface du blé, où les résidus sont demeurés à une concentration voisine de 4,5 mg kg-1 pendant les 24 mo. La température du blé fluctuait entre des maximums estivaux voisins de 23°C et des minimums hivernaux de près de -40°C à la surface du blé. Après 24 mo d'entreposage, du blé traité a été contaminé avec des adultes du Tribolium castaneum; le taux de mortalité observé a été d'environ 80%. Des populations de T. castaneum ou de Rhyzopertha dominica introduites dans 5 t de blé non traité ne se sont pas établies; de petites populations de Cryptolestes ferrugineus se sont établies, mais elles ont été éliminées par le froid. Les populations de Liposcelis sp. et des acariens A robustus, T. granarius, Blattisocius keegani et de Cheyletus eruditus étaient les plus élevées à la fin de l'été et en automne. La germination des grains et la microflore n'ont pas été directement affectées par le pyrimiphos-méthyl. La lente décomposition de cet insecticide dans le grain empêcherait des communautés d'arthropodes de se développer autant que dans un écosystème constitué de blé entreposé et non traité sur une période de 24 mo.The insecticide pirimiphos-methyl applied at a mean concentration of 6.4 mg a.i. kg 1 to 5t of wheat (Triticum aestivum) in a farm granary in southern Manitoba remained active over 24 mo. Most insects and mites in the treated grain could not survive except a psocid, Liposcelis sp., and the mites Tarsonemus granarius and Aeroglyphus robustus, and their populations were sharply reduced relative to those in a bulk of untreated wheat. Insecticide residues at a 1-m depth decreased ca. 52% in 12 mo from 8.1 mg kg-1 to 4.0 mg kg-1, then remained constant until 24 mo. Grain moisture content (MC) at this depth was consistently higher (over 14% MC) than at the top of the wheat bulk where residues remained near 4.5 mg kg-1 over 24 mo. Grain temperatures fluctuated from summer maxima near 23°C to winter minima near -40°C at the bulk surface. Bioassay of treated wheat with adult Tribolium castaneum after 24 mo of storage resulted in about 80% mortality. Populations of T castaneum or Rhyzopertha dominica introduced into 5 t of untreated wheat did not become established; small populations of Cryptolestes ferrugineus were established but were eliminated by winter cold. Populations of Liposcelis sp. and the mites A. robustus, T. granarius, Blattisocius keegani and Cheyletus eruditus were highest in late summer and autumn. Seed germination and microflora were not directly affected by pirimiphos-methyl. The slow rate of degradation of this insecticide in grain would prevent communities of arthropods from developing to the same extent as in an untreated stored-wheat ecosystem over 24 mo

The Effects of Different Wavelengths of Light on Tribolium castaneum

Citation: Pfannenstiel, L. (2017). The Effects of Different Wavelengths of Light on Tribolium castaneum . 1st Annual Undergraduate Research Experience in Entomology Symposium, November 16, 2016. Manhattam, KS.Insects are known to be able to see different wavelengths of lights than humans can see. Because of this, there has been a lot of research done into using light to prevent damage caused by storedproduct pests. Common pests that research has been performed on are psocids (Diaz-Montano et al., 2015) and fruit flies (Saranwong et al., 2011). One of the biggest pests of stored-products is the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Research on the attraction of different wavelengths of light has already been done on these beetles and published (Duehl et al., 2011), and my project mirrors that research. My hypothesis was that the shorter wavelengths of light would attract red flour beetles while the longer wavelengths of light would have no effect. My results show that, compared to a white light, the shorter wavelength light attracted more beetles. Compared to no light, there wasn’t a definite trend in wavelength of lights and attractiveness. The attractiveness of short-wavelength lights could be used to make traps for red flour beetles more effective and prevent damage to storedgrains