DOCSLIB.ORG

A Parasitic Flythat Kills Mole Crickets Identifying Natural Parasites for Mole Crickets As Part of a Long-Term Control Strategy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Parasitic Flythat Kills Mole Crickets Identifying Natural Parasites for Mole Crickets As Part of a Long-Term Control Strategy A Parasitic FlyThat Kills Mole Crickets Identifying natural parasites for mole crickets as part of a long-term control strategy. BY HOWARD FRANK of Florida Mole Cricket Research Pro- gram began to investigate and import those natural enemies in the 1980s. Currently, two of those imported natural enemies are established year- round in the Gainesville, Florida, area. Together they provide about 95% con- trol of tawny 'and short-winged mole crickets.2 Numbers of tawny and south- ern mole crickets in the Gainesville area are about 95% less than they were in the 1980s due to action of another wasp (Larra bicolor) and another bene- ficial nematode (Steinernema scapterisCl) from South America. What is remarkable about these imported wasps and nematodes is that they now occur all around the Gaines- An Ormia depleta pupa next to a dead adult mole cricket. The mole cricket was killed by an Ormia depleta larva that then became this pupa. Up to five fly larvae may develop successfully in an adult mole ville area and provide area-wide control cricket, and the process is always fatal to the mole cricket regardless of the number of fly larvae. for free.Year by year the area occupied by this wasp and nematode keeps rom coastal North Carolina south enemies that keep its numbers in check. increasing naturally, so that the area to Florida and west to Texas, mole These natural enemies include a wasp where mole crickets are controlled Fcrickets are major problems on (Larra analis) and a beneficial nematode expands. golf courses. Huge sums of money are (Steinernema neocurtillae) that seems to This article is about a third biological spent on pesticides every year to control attack only this species of mole cricket. control agent, a fly called Ormia depleta them, and this seems only to give tem- The services of these parasites are free that was imported by the University of porary relief from the problem. What wherever they occur naturally and Florida Mole Cricket Research Program would it take to get some level of provide permanent control. in 1987 and released in 1988. By having permanent control? The tawny mole cricket (Scapteriscus a third biological control agent for Not all mole crickets are pests.3 vicinus), southern mole cricket (Scapteris- mole crickets, the overall level of con- Although the northern mole cricket cus borellit), and short-winged mole trol for mole crickets may be improved. (Neocurtilla hexadactyla) gets into turf, it cricket (Scapteriscus abbreviatus) are not In addition, this fly may help establish seldom becomes numerous enough to native to the USA. All three of these biological control of mole crickets in do any damage. At least one of the pests arrived about 100 years ago and states north of Florida, such as the reasons for that is because it is native to left their natural enemies in their South Carolinas, where mole crickets are also the eastern USA and has native natural American homelands. The University a serious problem. SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2002 9 THE FLY:ORMIA DEPLETA release in other southern states. Despite ten gravid female flies. Recipients were The initial stock of flies imported to extensive efforts to obtain the flies in expected to release the flies and after a Florida came from Piracicaba, a sub- 1998, the necessary permit was not few months begin monitoring the tropical city at about 23°S in Brazil. processed in time by the Brazilian release area for establishment of a popu- Rearing methods were devised,9 and government, and no flies were brought lation. To date, no recipient has reported flies were initially released at three back to the United States at that time. establishment of the flies. Nonetheless, localities: Gainesville (north Florida), However, Dr. Howard Frank, University attempts to establish populations in Bradenton (central Florida), and Miami of Florida, returned to Brazil early in other states continue. Additional flies (south Florida). Establishment of popu- February 1999. He was able to collect were shipped to Louisiana in May lations occurred at all three places. Re- seven gravid (pregnant) females and 2002. search sponsored by the Florida Turf- remove hundreds oflarvae from these grass Association in 1990-1991, which flies. Laboratory-reared mole crickets in DISCOVERIES ABOUT THE FLY included 28 participating golf courses, Gainesville were inoculated In the laboratory, adult flies failed to allowed for releases to be made at these with these larvae, and a survive long unless they were provided golf courses in 16 counties covering all culture was with artificial plant nectar (a mixture of regions of Florida. started. sugars). It had been expected that adult By the end of 1994, a continuous flies in the wild need nectar from some population of this fly had been estab- unknown plant or group of plants. lished in 38 contiguous peninsular Identifying those plants was difficult counties,4 but not farther north. because the flies are active only at The fly seemed to be poorly night. One attempt made by the adapted to survive the University of Florida Mole winters north of Cricket Research Program about 28°N. This was to identify pollen seems reasonable since grains attached to the it had come from a bodies of field-trapped subtropical area.7 Ormia depleta (old strain) in Lack of expansion of the Florida in hopes of identifying Ormia depleta population in plants from which adult flies obtain north Florida suggested that nectar. its origin was too tropical and that Ormia A second attempt to understand it could not survive winters in north depleta adult. the flies' diet was made by entomology Florida because it was unable to Adults are nocturnal. graduate student Craig Welch. He diapause. Diapause is a condition (like Gravid females are trapped adult flies at Bradenton (central attracted to the song of pest hibernation) in which individuals enter Florida), took samples of their gut con- mole crickets and lay living larvae dormancy during winter (or other (not eggs) on their hosts. tents, and analyzed the sugars present by periods when resources are not chromatography, a technique that allows available). It was hoped that additional The new (Osorio) strain of Ormia each sugar present to be identified. Sur- flies could be collected from farther depleta has been maintained in culture prisingly, the main sugar present was south in South America, in an area with since. The flies have been reared using melezitose.8 This sugar is not normally colder winters, where the local popula- laboratory-reared short-winged mole present in plant nectars, but it is the tion of flies can diapause. These hardier crickets as hosts. When generations of principle component of honeydew: flies could then be used to expand flies were produced that contained Honeydew is the sugary excretion of biological control of mole crickets in more than 10% gravid females, the homopterous insects (aphids, mealy the U.S. to states north of Florida. "surplus" (those that were not essential bugs, etc.). This means that the success to maintain the culture) was shipped to of using this type of biological control HOW NEW ORMIA DEPLETA other states for release. In 2000-2001, depends on having honeydew- WERE OBTAINED shipments of flies were made to col- excreting insects in the area. In 1998, the USGA funded a project laborating entomologists in North The principle is the same for butter- that would explore the southernmost Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas fly gardening where, if we want to part of Brazil for a stock of Ormia for release in those states. enhance butterfly populations locally, depleta, bring that stock back to quaran- Each shipment consisted of either we must provide the plants from which tine in Florida, and provide flies for approximately 200 fly pupae or six to butterflies obtain nectar. This work is 10 GREEN SECTION RECORD continuing and is investigating what homopterous insects on what plant hosts can be used to enhance Ormia depleta populations locally. In other words, how can we provide those re- sources in the landscaping of golf courses that will lay the foundation for biological control of mole crickets without causing other problems such as unsightly insect-infested plants? The famed Doral golf course in Miami was one of the sites where Ormia depleta flies were released in 1990. Steve Kuhn, then superintendent, thought the fly had achieved about Florida counties in which permanent (dark blue) and seasonal (pale blue) populations ofthe old 90% control of pest mole crickets there. (Piracicaba) strain of Ormia depleta are established. In the counties shaded dark blue, Ormia depleta provides partial control of pest mole crickets at no cost. In the areas shaded pale blue, the old strain of Craig Welch's research findings offer an the fly seems not to survive the winters and it recolonizes from the south in most years. A strain that explanation of that high level of success. can diapause is necessary to occupy the area shaded light blue and northward. Doral has a rich landscape of tropical and subtropical plants which can sup- investigated. However, in view of the depleta (Diptera:Tachinidae). PhD dissertation, port homopterous insects (aphids, importance of mole crickets as a serious Univ. Florida, Gainesville. mealy bugs, etc.) throughout the year. It golf course pest, this should not be 2Frank,J. H. 2001. Statewide controls for mole is likely that these newly released flies ruled out. crickets? Florida Turf Digest. 18(4):44-45. had the honeydew sources needed for Wherever populations of the fly have 3Frank,J. H., andJ. P. Parkman. 1998. Integrated pest management of pest mole crickets with their diets from the homopterous become established, there is a strong insects living on those tropical and emphasis on the southeastern USA.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Tachinid Times Issue 29
    Walking in the Footsteps of American Frontiersman Daniel Boone The Tachinid Times Issue 29 Exploring Chile Curious case of Girschneria Kentucky tachinids Progress in Iran Tussling with New Zealand February 2016 Table of Contents ARTICLES Update on New Zealand Tachinidae 4 by F.-R. Schnitzler Teratological specimens and the curious case of Girschneria Townsend 7 by J.E. O’Hara Interim report on the project to study the tachinid fauna of Khuzestan, Iran 11 by E. Gilasian, J. Ziegler and M. Parchami-Araghi Tachinidae of the Red River Gorge area of eastern Kentucky 13 by J.E. O’Hara and J.O. Stireman III Landscape dynamics of tachinid parasitoids 18 by D.J. Inclán Tachinid collecting in temperate South America. 20 Expeditions of the World Tachinidae Project. Part III: Chile by J.O. Stireman III, J.E. O’Hara, P. Cerretti and D.J. Inclán 41 Tachinid Photo 42 Tachinid Bibliography 47 Mailing List 51 Original Cartoon 2 The Tachinid Times Issue 29, 2016 The Tachinid Times February 2016, Issue 29 INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS Chief Editor JAMES E. O’HARA This newsletter accepts submissions on all aspects of tach- InDesign Editor SHANNON J. HENDERSON inid biology and systematics. It is intentionally maintained as a non-peer-reviewed publication so as not to relinquish its status as Staff JUST US a venue for those who wish to share information about tachinids in an informal medium. All submissions are subjected to careful ISSN 1925-3435 (Print) editing and some are (informally) reviewed if the content is thought to need another opinion. Some submissions are rejected because ISSN 1925-3443 (Online) they are poorly prepared, not well illustrated, or excruciatingly bor- ing.
    [Show full text]
  • Diptera: Tachinidae) Larvae
    Welch: Competition by Ormia depleta 497 INTRASPECIFIC COMPETITION FOR RESOURCES BY ORMIA DEPLETA (DIPTERA: TACHINIDAE) LARVAE C. H. WELCH USDA/ARS/cmave, 1600 SW 23rd Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608 ABSTRACT Ormia depleta is a parasitoid of pest mole crickets in the southeastern United States. From 2 to 8 larvae of O. depleta were placed on each of 368 mole cricket hosts and allowed to de- velop. The weights of the host crickets, number of larvae placed, number of resulting pupae, and the weights of those pupae were all factored to determine optimal parasitoid density per host under laboratory rearing conditions. Based on larval survival and pupal weight, this study indicates that 4-5 larvae per host is optimal for laboratory rearing. Key Words: biocontrol, Scapteriscus, parasitoid, superparasitism RESUMEN Ormia depleta es un parasitoide de grillotopos en el sureste de los Estados Unidos. Entre 2 y 8 larvas de O. depleta se colocaron en 368 grillotopos huéspedes y se dejaron madurar. El peso de los huéspedes, el número de larvas de O. depleta colocadas, el número de pupas re- sultantes y el peso de las pupas fueron usados para determinar la densidad optima de para- sitoides en cada huésped para ser usadas en la reproducción de este parasitoide en el laboratorio. Nuestros resultados muestran que entre 4 y 5 larvas por cada grillotopo es la densidad optima para la reproducción en el laboratorio de este parasitoide. Translation provided by the author. Ormia depleta (Wiedemann) is a parasitoid of protocol requires hand inoculation of 3 planidia Scapteriscus spp. mole crickets, imported pests of under the posterior margin of the pronotum of turf and pasture grasses in the southeastern each host (R.
    [Show full text]
  • Ohara\Catalogues\World Genera\Tach
    WORLD GENERA OF THE TACHINIDAE (DIPTERA) AND THEIR REGIONAL OCCURRENCE by James E. O’Hara1 23 February 2005 Version 1.0 ________________________ 1 Invertebrate Biodiversity, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0C6. E-mail: [email protected]. TABLE OF CONTENTS Click on a page number to go to the page indicated Foreword ............................................................................................................................... 2 Biogeographic summary ....................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... 3 Table of genera and their regional occurrence ...................................................................... 4 References ........................................................................................................................... 66 Select a letter to go directly to corresponding genus in list of world genera A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z FOREWORD The following table is a listing of the tachinid genera of the world with their regional occurrence. It was compiled from the generic names and distributions given in the most recent regional catalogues, as listed here, and brought up-to-date using information from subsequently published papers. Regional catalogues Nearctic Region O’Hara & Wood (2004) Neotropical
    [Show full text]
  • Biologically Inspired Antenna Array Design Using Ormia Modeling1 2 3 4
    Biologically inspired antenna array design 1 2 3 4 using Ormia modeling Murat Akcakaya1 , Carlos Muravchik2 and Arye Nehorai3 1 Electrical and Computer Engineering Department University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA, USA email: [email protected] 2 LEICI, Departamento Electrotecnia, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina email: [email protected] 3 Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA email: [email protected] 1 This chapter is based on the dissertation work completed by Dr. Murat Akcakaya when he was in Washington University in St. Louis 2 Based on Akcakaya, M. Muravchik, C. M and Nehorai, A. (2011) ‘ Biologically inspired coupled antenna array for direction of arrival estimation’, IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, 59 (10), 4795-4808. 3 Based on Akcakaya, M and Nehorai, A. (2010) ‘ Biologically inspired coupled antenna beampattern design’ , Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, 5 (4) , 046003. 4 The work of Dr. Arye Nehorai was funded by NSF grant CCF-0963742. 1 Abstract This chapter describes the design of a small-size antenna array having high direction of arrival (DOA) estimation accuracy and radiation performance, inspired by female Ormia ochraceas’ coupled ears. Female Ormias are able to locate male crickets' call accurately, for reproduction purposes, despite the small distance between its ears compared with the incoming wavelength. This phenomenon has been explained by the mechanical coupling between the Ormia's ears, modeled by a pair of differential equations. In this chapter, we first solve the differential equations governing the Ormia ochracea's ear response, and propose to convert the response to pre-specified radio frequencies.
    [Show full text]
  • Insects in Turf
    Insects in Turf Pest Manager Training Albany Technical College February 26, 2019 Dr. James N. McCrimmon Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Where do Insects fit in? Organization of 5 Kingdoms living organisms: – Animalia – Kingdom Phylum – Phylum – Arthropoda – Class – Nematoda – Order Class – Family – Insecta – Genus Order – Species – 7/32 are turf pests • Class ▫ Insecta Chitinous exoskeleton Three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen) Three pairs of jointed legs Antennae Compound eyes Two antennae Introduction to Insect Biology We are fully immersed with insects – Over 1,000,000 insect species worldwide Introduction to Insect Biology An estimated 40 million insects for every acre of land Live in all habitats except, ocean Introduction to Insect Biology Diversity/richness greatest in tropical climates If global temperatures continue to rise, their population will grow and spread Introduction to Insect Biology Not all insects are pests; many are beneficial, for example, with the pollination of plants. Other beneficial roles of insects include… – Pest predation – Recycling/decomposition – Population control Introduction to Insect Biology A few groups (Orders) account for most of the population. – Coleoptera (beetles) 35% – Hymenoptera (bees, ants and wasps) 25% – Diptera (flies) 12.5% – Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) 12.5% – Hemiperta (true bug) 10% – Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets) 2% – Others 3% Insect Identification Destructive Turfgrass Insects 7 Insecta Orders Insecta Orthoptera Coleoptera Lepidoptera
    [Show full text]
  • Tawny Mole Cricket
    INSECT PESTS Tawny Mole Cricket Prepared by Camille Goodwin, MG 2008 Texas AgriLife Extension Service Galveston County Office Dickinson, TX 77539 Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin. The Texas A&M System, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas cooperating. FIG. 1 Type Pest: chewing insect (Scapteriscus vicinus Scudder) • Another closely related mole cricket, the southern mole cricket (Scapteriscus borellia Giglio-Tos) also occurs in the Galveston-Houston area Type Metamorphous: simple (egg, nymph and adult stages) Period of Primary Activity: April through October Plants Affected • Bermudagrass and bahiagrass are the primary turfgrasses damaged by the mole cricket, although extensive damage can be sustained on cultivars of St. Augustinegrass, FIG. 2 centipedegrass, ryegrass, zoysiagrass and bentgrass • Tomato, strawberry, beet, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrot, cauliflower, collard, eggplant, kale, lettuce, onion, pepper, potato, spinach, sweet potato, turnip, flowers such as coleus, chrysanthemum, gypsophila, and other plants • Mole crickets feed on other soil-dwelling insects Identifying Characteristics of Insect Pest EGG STAGE • After mating and dispersal flights occur, females lay eggs in cells dug in the soil primarly during April with some egg laying occurring into early summer • Eggs hatch in about 2 weeks FIG. 3 NYMPH STAGES • Nymphs develop through eight juvenile stages (separated by molts) mostly during the summer months. • Each successive growth stage (instar) is larger and looks more and more like the adult but lack fully developed wings • Winter is spent as partially grown nymphs and as adults ADULT STAGE (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Mole Cricket: Scapteriscus Vicinus Shortwinged Mole Cricket: Scapteriscus Abbreviatus
    Tawny Mole Cricket: Scapteriscus vicinus Shortwinged Mole Cricket: Scapteriscus abbreviatus Biology & Lifecycle: Adults and larger nymphs chew on stems of seedlings and smaller plants at the soil surface. The tawny mole cricket has one generation each year and overwinters as adults, which lay eggs in April through early June. Nymphs grow slowly through the summer months and start becoming adults in September. The shortwinged mole cricket is almost restricted to coastal areas. Most eggs are laid in late spring through early summer. Females of both species lay clutches of eggs in underground egg chambers. Environmental Factors: Tawny and shortwinged mole crickets are present year-around, with adults and large nymphs overwintering but inactivated by cold temperatures and drought (they burrow deeper underground). Irrigation during drought allows them to be active. Flooding forces them to migrate to higher ground. Adult: Adults are large, about 1¼ inches, with wings longer than body (tawny mole cricket (Figure 3)) or very much shorter than body (shortwinged mole cricket (Figure 1)). Both adults and nymphs have enlarged and toothed forelegs for digging; expanded femurs (base of the hind legs) for jumping, although only nymphs jump. All species have soft bodies, with the middle body section protected by a hardened cover (pronotum). Immature: Nymphs range from less than 1/8 inch at hatching to about 1 inch several months later, resembling the adults but without trace of wings in the first 4 instars and with small wing buds in later instars. The number of molts varies from 6 to 9 (Figure 5). Host range: Both species attack seedlings of eggplant, sweet pepper, tobacco, tomato and cabbage.
    [Show full text]
  • Howard Frank Professor Emeritus
    J. Howard Frank Professor Emeritus Contact: PO Box 110620 Building 970, Natural Area Dr. Gainesville, FL 32611 (352) 273-3922 [email protected] Education B.Sc. (Honors), Durham University, England (Zoology), 1963 D.Phil., Oxford University, England (Entomology), 1967 Relevant Employment History Professor (1987-2012) Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida Associate Professor (1985-1987) Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida Associate Professor (1983-1985) Florida Medical Entomology Lab, Vero Beach, FL Entomologist (1972-1983) Entomological Research Center (later Florida Medical Entomology Lab), Vero Beach, FL Entomologist (1968-1972) Research Department, Sugar Manufacturers' Association, Mandeville, Jamaica Post-doctoral Fellow (1966-1968) Entomology Department, University of Alberta, Canada Former Research Responsibilities Biological control of pest insects using parasitoids, predators, or pathogens. Current projects are against Scapteriscus mole crickets (pests of turf, pasture grasses, and vegetables), and Metamasius callizona (pest of bromeliads). Former Teaching responsibilities Biological Control (ENY 5241), a course for graduate students. Tropical Entomology for undergraduates (ENY 3563/ENY 3564L) and for graduates (ENY 5566/ENY 5567L). Supervision of research by graduate students. Former Extension responsibilities Extension of results of the research project Accomplishments Introduction, colonization, release, and establishment in at least 38 Florida counties of Ormia depleta (Diptera: Tachinidae)
    [Show full text]
  • Surveying for Terrestrial Arthropods (Insects and Relatives) Occurring Within the Kahului Airport Environs, Maui, Hawai‘I: Synthesis Report
    Surveying for Terrestrial Arthropods (Insects and Relatives) Occurring within the Kahului Airport Environs, Maui, Hawai‘i: Synthesis Report Prepared by Francis G. Howarth, David J. Preston, and Richard Pyle Honolulu, Hawaii January 2012 Surveying for Terrestrial Arthropods (Insects and Relatives) Occurring within the Kahului Airport Environs, Maui, Hawai‘i: Synthesis Report Francis G. Howarth, David J. Preston, and Richard Pyle Hawaii Biological Survey Bishop Museum Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96817 USA Prepared for EKNA Services Inc. 615 Pi‘ikoi Street, Suite 300 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96814 and State of Hawaii, Department of Transportation, Airports Division Bishop Museum Technical Report 58 Honolulu, Hawaii January 2012 Bishop Museum Press 1525 Bernice Street Honolulu, Hawai‘i Copyright 2012 Bishop Museum All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America ISSN 1085-455X Contribution No. 2012 001 to the Hawaii Biological Survey COVER Adult male Hawaiian long-horned wood-borer, Plagithmysus kahului, on its host plant Chenopodium oahuense. This species is endemic to lowland Maui and was discovered during the arthropod surveys. Photograph by Forest and Kim Starr, Makawao, Maui. Used with permission. Hawaii Biological Report on Monitoring Arthropods within Kahului Airport Environs, Synthesis TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents …………….......................................................……………...........……………..…..….i. Executive Summary …….....................................................…………………...........……………..…..….1 Introduction ..................................................................………………………...........……………..…..….4
    [Show full text]
  • Caribbean Food Crops Society Serving the Caribbean Since 1963 Caribbean Food Crops Society 40
    CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY SERVING THE CARIBBEAN SINCE 1963 CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY 40 Fortieth Annual Meeting 2004 Proceedings of the Caribbean Food Crops Society. 40:249-183. 2004 A COMMERCI AL NEMATODE FOR MOLE CRICKET CONTROL N.C. Leppla1, J.H. Frank', N. Vicente2 and A. Pantoja3. 1 University of Florida, IF AS, P.O. Box 110620, Gainesville, FL 32611-0620, 2University of Puerto Rico, Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box 9030, Mayaguez, PR 00681-9030, United States Department of Agriculture, ARS, SARU, Fairbanks, AK99775-7200 ABSTRACT: In Puerto Rico, the name "changa" is generally applied to Scapteriscus didactylus (Latreille) (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae), the most widespread and damaging of the non- indigenous pest mole crickets in Puerto Rico. S. abbreviatus Scudder is also established but much less abundant. We conducted a T-STAR project to efficiently release, establish, distribute and evaluate the entomopathogenic nematode, Stinernema scapterisci Nguyen and Smart (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), for controlling Scapteriscus spp. mole crickets. The University of Florida negotiated an agreement with Becker Underwood for commercial production of the nematode that is available as the product, Nematac®S. The "mole cricket nematode" has been used effectively to control non-indigenous mole crickets in pastures and turf in Florida since the early 1990s. It parasitizes only Scapteriscus spp. in nature and not indigenous mole crickets that are in a different genus, so it is safe to import and release. The level of mole cricket infection, nematode establishment and dispersal, and suppression of mole cricket populations is being quantified. This project provided data on the occurrence and life history of Scapteriscus spp.
    [Show full text]
  • Overhearing Cricket Love Songs
    singing male crickets but also to recognize those dhe cricket and require no od~er cues, such as Overhearing Cricket Love that belong to her own species and, possibly, to smell. If dhe flies' ears are damaged, they cannot Songs assess the adequacy of the male by the quality of locate dhe sound. On the other hand, preliminary his song. For the fly, the task is also to find a observation suggests dhat they may be reluctant to cricket of the right species. The possibility that a deposit their larvae unless they actually find a Some flies bear an eary resemlance to their victims female fly also assesses the quality or health of her cricket at the source of the sound. In contrast, host before entrusting her brood to him seems slim, entomologist Tom Walker and his colleagues at the by Daniel Robert and Ronald R. Hoy but cannot be ruled out. University of Florida, Gainesville, have observed that a related species from Brazil, O. depleta, will For 200 million years, on any warm evening, male Our probing of its anatomy reveals that the hearing readily deposit from one to eight maggots right on crickets have been eagerly rubbing their forewings organ of O. ochracea is composed of a pair of very a piece of paper covering a loudspeaker. together, "singing" to attract mates. Early on, they thin membranes situated on the front of the thorax, were pioneers, inventing new ways to advertise near the neck and just behind the head. These So far, six members of the genus Ormia are known their presence to their fellow crickets.
    [Show full text]
  • Mole Cricket Management Using a Soil Fumigant
    Mole cricket management using a soil fumigant Long used in agriculture, 1,3-0 is being tested for controlling mole crickets in turf. J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D., and Darin W. Lickfeldt, Ph.D. Mole crickets have long been trou- roots, organic material and other small blesome pests in turf-covered venues, organisms, including insects. particularly in the southeastern United During warm weather, most mole States. Imported from South America in cricket feeding occurs at night after the early 1900s, mole crickets damage rain showers or irrigation events. turfgrass in several ways. They tunnel During the day mole crickets stay in through the soil near the surface, loos- their permanent burrows and may ening the soil and leaving the grass remain there for long periods when the uprooted. As the soil dries, the roots weather is unfavorable. Adult mole desiccate and turf death ensues. Mole crickets are strongly attracted to lights crickets also cause direct injury as they during their spring flights, and there feed on grass roots, causing thinning of are reports of mole cricket sightings on the turf and inevitably leading to bare well-lit, offshore oil rigs. More Info: www.gcsaa.org soil. Indirect injury also occurs when predatory animals such as armadillos Mole cricket control • Mole crickets kill turf by and opossums seek their nightly meal of Control of mole crickets has largely feeding on roots and by these soil-borne insects. been accomplished with synthetic uprooting grass through Mole crickets are extremely prolific. insecticides (5,6) and, more recently, tunneling. Each spring, overwintered adults with biological control agents such as • Long used in agriculture, emerge, fly around and mate and then the entomopathogenic nematode the pesticide I,3-dichloro- deposit eggs in chambers hollowed out Steinernema scapterisci and the propene has recently been in the soil.
    [Show full text]