Larval Food Habits of the Japanese Beetle (Popillia Japonica Newm.)

We explore key mechanical responses of the layered microstructure found in selected parts of the exoskeletons (pronotum, leg and elytron) of Popillia japonica (Japanese beetle). Image analyses of exoskeleton cross-sections reveal four distinct layered regions. The load-bearing inner three regions (exocuticle, mesocuticle, and endocuticle) consist of multiple chitin-protein layers, in which chitin fibers align in parallel. The exocuticle and mesocuticle have a helicoidal structure, where the stacking sequence is characterized by a gradual rotation of the fiber orientation. The endocuticle has a pseudo-orthogonal structure, where two orthogonal layers are joined by a thin helicoidal region. The mechanics-based analyses suggest that, compared with the conventional cross-ply structure, the pseudo-orthogonal configuration reduces the maximum tensile stress over the exoskeleton cross-section and increases the interfacial fracture resistance. The coexistence of the pseudo-orthogonal and helicoidal structures reveals a competition between the in-plane isotropy and the interfacial strength in nature’s design of the biocomposite.

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POPILLIA JAPONICA (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEIDAE): DISTRIBUTION AND MOVEMENT OF ADULTS IN HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENTS

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/ent115287-3 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 115 (3) ◽

pp. 287-294 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Jacques Régnière ◽

Robert L. Rabb ◽

R. E. Stinner

Keyword(s):

North Carolina ◽

Point Of View ◽

Popillia Japonica ◽

Heterogeneous Environments ◽

Japanese Beetle ◽

Feeding Sites ◽

Marginal Production ◽

Adult Feeding ◽

Agricultural Areas ◽

Eastern North Carolina

AbstractAdult Japanese beetle populations were sampled continuously during the summers of 1978 and 1979 in two agricultural stations in eastern North Carolina. Patterns in trap capture were used to develop a conceptual model of the movements of this insect in agricultural areas. A partition of land area is proposed, based on four categories of sites from the point of view of suitability to this insect's reproduction and survival: (1) intensive production sites, (2) marginal production sites, (3) migration alleys, and (4) adult feeding sites. This partition is suggested as a framework for discussion and study of the population dynamics of the insect.

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Effects of Fine-Mesh Exclusion Netting on Pests of Blackberry

10.20944/preprints201906.0006.v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ryan Kuesel ◽

Delia Scott Hicks ◽

Kendall Archer ◽

Amber Sciligo ◽

Ricardo Bessin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Popillia Japonica ◽

Japanese Beetle ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Marketable Yield ◽

Insecticide Treatment ◽

Fine Mesh ◽

Baited Traps ◽

Potential Alternative ◽

Organically Managed ◽

Insecticide Sprays

Fine-mesh exclusion netting is a potential alternative to organic and conventional insecticide application to control numerous pests of fruit crops. We tested whether fine-mesh exclusion netting would reduce pest abundance and increase marketable yield compared to organic spinosad insecticide sprays in an organically managed blackberry field. At the completion of flowering, we covered blackberry rows (N = 3) with fine-mesh exclusion netting (ProtekNet) and treated alternating rows (N = 3) with an organic spinosad insecticide (Entrust™). Fine-mesh exclusion reduced green June beetle (Cotinus nitida Linnaeus) and bird presence and marginally reduced Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newman) presence on blackberry canes compared to organic spinosad insecticide treatment. Exclusion netting reduced the capture of spotted-wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii Matsumara; SWD) in baited traps in the fourth week of exclusion, and reduced the overall number of SWD adults emerging from harvested blackberry fruits. Marketable yield in the fine-mesh exclusion treatments was two times higher than the organic spinosad insecticide treatment. These results suggest that fine-mesh exclusion netting is a functional pest control alternative to organic insecticide treatment.

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Japanese beetle feeding and survival on apple fruits

Bioscience Journal ◽

10.14393/bj-v36n4a2020-50364 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Evaldo Martins Pires ◽

Robert Lee Koch

Keyword(s):

Physiological Response ◽

Food Source ◽

Popillia Japonica ◽

Japanese Beetle ◽

Soybean Leaves ◽

Apple Fruits ◽

Economic Damages

Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Japanese beetle, is a polyphagous pest of many crops. In these crops, including apple, it acts primarily as a defoliator, causing economic damages. The objectives were to determine the ability of P. japonica to injury fruits of SweeTango variety apples and the suitability of apple fruits as a food source for this beetle. Popillia japonica was not able to injure the surface of intact fruits, which means that it is not a primary pest for apple fruits. The lifespan of the beetles when fed soybean leaves or apple with exposed endocarp was similar. Observations of the feces of the beetles suggest a potential physiological response due the change of food from soybean leaves to apple fruits. Therefore, we can conclude that the adults should not be considered as primary pests of apple fruits; however, they may act as secondary pests if the endocarp of the fruits is exposed by some other agent.

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