Search results for "semiochemicals"
showing 6 items of 16 documents
Chemical Ecology of Insect Parasitoids: Essential Elements for Developing Effective Biological Control Programmes
2013
Insect parasitoids can find their hosts in complex environments and reproduce through a series of behavioural steps which are regulated mainly by chemical cues, termed semiochemicals. According to functional criteria, stimuli can be classified into four main categories: (A) cues coming from the habitat, the host microhabitat or the food plant, (B) direct host‐related cues, (C) indirect host‐related cues, and (D) cues coming from the parasitoid itself. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in elucidating the semiochemicals used by parasitoids to locate their hosts. Several studies provided interesting prospective for manipulating foraging behaviour of parasitoids in order to i…
Responses of Metaphycus sp. nr. flavus to semiochemicals released from a scale host, Coccus hesperidum
2004
Metaphycus sp. nr. flavus (Encyrtidae: Hymenoptera) is a parasitoid species collected from the Mediterranean region which lays its eggs in the immature stages of several economically important soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae), including brown soft scale, Coccus hesperidum L. (= host insect). Preliminary tests suggested that the parasitoid is most successful in producing offspring when it oviposits in the younger stages of brown soft scale. In Y-olfactometer bioassays measuring wasp choices and residence times, naïve parasitoids were significantly more attracted to yucca leaves infested with 26, 27, or 28 d-old scale than to uninfested leaves, whereas leaves with older (29-30 d-old) …
Assessment of synthetic chemicals for disruption of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus response to attractant-baited traps in an urban environment
2012
The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), is one of the most severe pests of ornamental palm species in urban areas of Mediterranean countries. Aiming to discover inhibitory semiochemicals for RPW population management in urban environments, we conducted electroantennographic (EAG) screenings of 17 commercially available synthetic compounds, representing three groups of plant volatiles (isoprenoids, phenyl propanoid derivatives and fatty acid derivatives) known for their repellent effects toward insects. These tests were followed by trap-based screenings of EAG-active menthone, alpha-pinene and methyl salicylate, singly and in combination, und…
Chemical Ecology of Insect Parasitoids: Towards a New Era
2013
Over the course of evolutionary time, insect parasitoids have developed diverse strategies for using chemical compounds to communicate with various protagonists within their environment (i.e. conspecifi cs, their hosts, and the plants on which their hosts are living). Unravelling the evolutionary meaning of such chemical communication networks not only provides new insights into the ecology of these insects but also contributes to improving the use of parasitoids for the control of insect pests in biological control programmes. A book covering our current knowledge of the chemical ecology of insect parasitoids is therefore particularly timely and will appeal to a large number of potential r…
Assessment of synthetic chemicals for disruption of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus attraction in an urban environment
2012
The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), is currently one of the most severe pests of Canary palms in urban areas of Mediterranean countries and date palms in cultivated areas of the Middle East. RPW aggregation pheromone can be implemented for both monitoring and mass trapping however risks of RPW 'spillover' onto palms is of great concern. Aim of this work was to discover repellent semiochemicals for RPW population management in urban environments. For this purpose we conducted electroantennographic (EAG) screenings of 17 commercially available synthetic compounds, representing three groups of plant volatiles (isoprenoids, phenyl propanoid …
Editorial: Chemical Ecology and Conservation Biological Control
2022
International audience