Laboratory Studies on the Feeding Habits of Seven Species of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Ontario

1963 ◽  
Vol 95 (7) ◽  
pp. 712-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. L. Ayre
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Tapinoma Sessile ◽  
Formica Exsectoides ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
Laboratory Investigations ◽  
Large Living ◽  
Lasius Neoniger

AbstractPreliminary laboratory investigations of the feeding habits of seven species of ants occurring in southern Ontario showed that Camponotus herculeanus (Li.), Crematogaster lineolata (Say) and Formica exsectoides Forel are very predacious and will also eat dead insects. Myrmica americana Weber, Solenopsis molesta (Say) and Tapinoma sessile (Say) are also predacious, but probably because of the small size of the individuals and the colonies they are unable to capture large living insects. Lasius neoniger Emery, a relatively timid ant, may develop large populations and consume considerable numbers of other insects, but it is not recommended as a control agent because it can become troublesome on lawns.

Invertebrate Fossils (Insecta: Trichoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera) from the Pleistocene Scarborough Formation at Toronto, Ontario, and their paleoenvironmental Significance

1981 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy E. Williams ◽  
John A. Westgate ◽  
D. Dudley Williams ◽  
Anne Morgan ◽  
Alan V. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Deciduous Species ◽  
Forest Environment ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Plant Remains ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Terrestrial Insects ◽  
Invertebrate Fossils ◽  
July Temperature

AbstractLarval caddisfly, chironomid, and beetle remains have been recovered from the Pleistocene Scarborough Formation in the Toronto region of southern Ontario. Three stratigraphic levels were sampled at the northeastern end of the Scarborough Bluffs; the youngest horizon yielded 16 chironomid taxa, 33 caddisfly taxa, and 28 beetle taxa, whereas the two older levels yielded somewhat less diverse assemblages. Only one taxon in each of the caddisfly and chironomid groups was identified from the presumed correlative beds at Woodbridge, Ontario, but numerous beetle fragments were recovered, several of which have been specifically identified and match species found previously in the upper part of the Scarborough Formation. The youngest sampled assemblage in the Scarborough Formation at the northeastern end of the Scarborough Bluffs is interpreted as indicating cool climatic conditions in a boreal forest environment, given the present-day distributions and feeding habits of these river, lake, and terrestrial taxa. The mean July temperature at this time was probably about 15°C, as compared to the present-day value of 20.5°C. The forest was poorer in deciduous species during deposition of the older part of the formation as preserved here. These results agree well with previous interpretations based on plant remains. We suggest that both aquatic and terrestrial insects are good indicators of macroclimate.

scholarly journals Genomic insight into diet adaptation in the biological control agent Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao-Sen Li ◽  
Yu-Hao Huang ◽  
Mei-Lan Chen ◽  
Zhan Ren ◽  
Bo-Yuan Qiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Transcriptome Profiling ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Nutritional Deficiencies ◽  
Cryptolaemus Montrouzieri ◽  
Nutrient Metabolism ◽  
Immune Effector

Abstract Background The ladybird beetle Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) is used worldwide as a biological control agent. It is a predator of various mealybug pests, but it also feeds on alternative prey and can be reared on artificial diets. Relatively little is known about the underlying genetic adaptations of its feeding habits. Results We report the first high-quality genome sequence for C. montrouzieri. We found that the gene families encoding chemosensors and digestive and detoxifying enzymes among others were significantly expanded or contracted in this ladybird in comparison to other beetles. Diet-specific larval transcriptome profiling demonstrated that differentially expressed genes on unnatural diet as compared to natural prey were enriched in pathways of nutrient metabolism, indicating that the lower performance on the tested diets was caused by nutritional deficiencies. Remarkably, the C. montrouzieri genome also showed a significant expansion in an immune effector gene family. Some of the immune effector genes were dramatically downregulated when larvae were fed unnatural diets. Conclusion We suggest that the evolution of genes related to chemosensing, digestion, and detoxification but also immunity might be associated with diet adaptation of an insect predator. These findings help explain why this predatory ladybird has become a successful biological control agent and will enable the optimization of its mass rearing and use in biological control programs.

scholarly journals Towards better mitigation technologies for invasive wasps Vespula spp

2009 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 395-395
Author(s):  
M. Brownbridge ◽  
R. Toft ◽  
J. Rees ◽  
T.L. Nelson ◽  
C. Bunt
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Fungal Treatment ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Vespula Vulgaris ◽  
Wilderness Areas ◽  
Protein Bait ◽  
Limit Access

Exotic social insects are a major threat to New Zealands natural and agroecosystems Social wasps (Vespula vulgaris V germanica) in particular have had devastating effects in native forests and have displaced indigenous fauna through their predatory and polyphagous feeding habits High nest densities also limit access to and use of wilderness areas Insecticidal baits can reduce wasp populations for the short term on a local scale but contain potent toxins that pose environmental risks Novel baiting technologies are urgently needed by DOC and Regional Councils for use in conservation areas Baits must be palatable to Vespula spp and enable prolonged delivery of an efficacious yet selective control agent to the nest Using appropriate preservatives and humectants the field life of a protein bait was extended to 4 days without compromising its acceptance by foraging wasps Incorporation of waspactive isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana into the baits did not affect their attractiveness to wasps; nest traffic rates were significantly reduced by the Metarhizium treatment and infected larvae were recovered from nests exposed to each fungal treatment demonstrating the potential utility of this approach in a wasp mitigation strategy

A new species of Balaustium von Heyden, 1826 (Acari: Actinotrichida, Erythraeidae) from Spain

Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3178 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOANNA MĄKOL ◽  
YVES ARIJS ◽  
FELIX WÄCKERS
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Food Spectrum ◽  
Mode Of Reproduction ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
A New Species

An erythraeid mite, Balaustium hernandezi sp. nov., was found in large numbers in a greenhouse in Spain. The larva,deutonymph and female of the new species are described based on material obtained during experimental rearing. Dataand information on feeding habits, food spectrum, mode of reproduction and life cycle are provided. The potential role of the species as a biological control agent is discussed.

PSEUDOMETAGEA SCHWARZII (ASHM.) (EUCHARITIDAE: HYMENOPTERA), A PARASITE OF LASIUS NEONIGER EMERY (FORMICIDAE: HYMENOPTERA)

1962 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. L. Ayre
Keyword(s):  
Host Population ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
First Instar ◽  
Percent Parasitism ◽  
Internal Parasites ◽  
Ant Nest ◽  
Lasius Neoniger

In 1960 and 1961, studies were made on Pseudometagea schwarzii (Ashm.), a parasite of Lasius neoniger Emery in southern Ontario. The eggs are deposited in vegetation surrounding the ant nest and the first instar larvae (planidia) transfer to the ant Larvae by attaching themselves to the worker ants. The larvae overwinter as internal parasites but complete their development as external parasites after the host has pupated in the spring. The adults emerge in June and oviposit immediately.The adult parasites usually do not leave the area of the nest and, through the foraging activities of the ants, the planidia are returned to the colony that was originally parasitized. Hence the population is intensified and localized. Ninety percent parasitism of the overwintering brood may occur. The possible effects of this parasite on the host population are discussed.

A Virus Disease of the European Pine Sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffr.)

1953 ◽  
Vol 85 (12) ◽  
pp. 433-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. T. Bird ◽  
M. M. Whalen
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscope Study ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Infection Process ◽  
Neodiprion Sertifer ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Pine Sawfly ◽  
Insect Pathology ◽  
Forestry Commission ◽  
European Pine Sawfly

Escherich (7) was the first to report a polyhedral virus disease affecting the European pine sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffr.). Later Forsslund (8) observed that populations of this insect in Sweden were controlled by a virus disease. In 1948, H. S. Hanson. Entomologist of the Forestry Commission, England, observed mortality among N. sertifer in England which was due to a polyhedral virus disease (10). In 1949 virus-killed larvae collected in Sweden by Forsslund, were sent to the Laboratory of Insect Pathology, Sault Ste. Marie by G. R. Wyatt of this laboratory and the virus from these insects was propagated and used in the biological control of N. sertifer in southern Ontario (3, 5). This paper describes some aspects of the laboratory studies of the disease, namely: the infection process in cells susceptible to the virus, incubation period of the disease, and the isolation and electron microscope study of the causal agent.

Feeding in anuran communities on islands in the Danube floodplain

2001 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constantin Ciubuc ◽  
Michael Palmer ◽  
Dan Cogălniceanu
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Rana Esculenta ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Size Classes ◽  
Hyla Arborea ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
Bombina Bombina ◽  
Degree Of Overlap

AbstractFeeding habits and food choice of anurans found on two islands in the lower Danube floodplain were studied for two years. The five most abundant anuran species included in this study were Bombina bombina, Hyla arborea, Pelobates fuscus, Rana esculenta and R. ridibunda. In B. bombina the niche breadths of young and adults were of similar magnitude and the degree of overlap between these size classes was high. In Rana esculenta complex young individuals had a much broader trophic niche than adults. A low degree of overlap existed between young and adults, suggesting that the various size classes exploit different segments of the prey resource. Overall, species with a larger size range consumed a higher prey diversity. Prey occurrence was sampled throughout the study on a regular basis. The analysis of selectivity in feeding using Ivlev's index showed that the prey taxa that appeared to be preferred were generally rare in the environment. Detrended Correspondence Analysis revealed that the composition of anuran diets were highly overlapping but differed from the composition of the resource base. The trophic resource was highly partitioned in space and time and thus allowed the coexistence of large populations with similar diets.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document