[Research Update] Inspirations from Abroad

Every four years, entomologists from all over the world gather to report on their research and discuss pressing pest problems. This year the 13th International Congress of Entomology (ICE) was held at the International Convention Centre in Durban, South Africa, July 6-12. There were almost 1,500 15-minute presentations, more than 800 research posters and 2,200 attendees from more than 100 countries.

Each day of the conference began with a plenary speaker addressing a selected topic of global importance. And every day, 18 sections were held concurrently that represented different areas of entomological research. (Authors’ note: It was sometimes frustrating when several interesting presentations were scheduled at exactly the same time in different rooms. For our interests, Section 5 — Urban, Stored Product and Post Harvest Entomology — was home base most of the time.)

In addition to the hundreds of individual research reports, there were some recurring and interesting worldwide trends and topics with clear messages. Many sections included the following, sometimes related, subjects.

INVASIVE SPECIES. No country wants new and/or potentially dangerous pests from anywhere else. The problem of invasive and introduced species is perhaps the underlying problem for all of urban pest management. An invasive species is defined as an organism that, when introduced into a new territory, survives and often flourishes, becoming a pest. Species spread by human activity to new areas account for the vast majority of our pest problems, from nuisances and health concerns such as the German cockroach to ecological calamities such as the zebra mussel.

The pros and cons surrounding the concept of biological control were discussed at length, since an organism brought in to combat the spread of an invasive species can transform itself from a biological control agent into the next pest needing to be controlled. This has been witnessed in several species, most notably for pest management professionals in the case of Harmonia axyridis, the multicolored Asian ladybird beetle. An entire symposium was devoted to this lady beetle because it has been introduced into countries all over the world as a biological control agent and has then become established in most of those countries as an invasive pest species.

PESTICIDE RESISTANCE. In the battle for survival against the devourers, pesticides are a powerful weapon that demand careful administration and disciplined application. With few exceptions, pests will become resistant to all chemicals applied for control purposes. Resistance has become a major problem in many areas of the world and the United States is not immune.

By watching resistance take root in other areas and spread from country to continent, we must gauge our use of the most important materials to maximize their useful life. Already there are countries in which the resistance levels are so high that the compound is functionally worthless as an insecticide for use against that pest. In the United States, for instance, we have seen dramatic resistance levels in pests such as the bed bug.

SOCIAL INSECTS. As the human population moves into new areas, native species are displaced. This displacement occurs from human activity and exposure to invasive species. In perhaps the most intriguing presentation of the conference, Dr. Walter Tschinkel of Florida State University suggested that the red imported fire ant is not actually displacing native species, but is expanding into territories vacated by native species. He suggested that the native species were disappearing as a result of habitat disruption and not as a result of the red imported fire ant. This naturally aroused a healthy discussion among certain members of the United States contingent.

MEDICAL & VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY. Of the many epidemic and pandemic diseases, malaria continues to claim at least a million human lives every year; this is a staggering figure. Other devastating mosquito-borne diseases are increasing at an alarming rate. The use of DDT has proven to be effective at curbing the numbers of cases each year in malaria areas. Unfortunately, populations of mosquitoes resistant to DDT have emerged in several areas, most notably in West Africa. In such areas, it is important to switch the primary methods of control away from DDT to other methods, but DDT is easy to apply and has given reliable results in the past. It is odd for Americans to hear DDT spoken of in this manner, but such is the nature of DDT around the world.

The lesson here for urban pest management professionals is to carefully manage the application of materials against difficult pests. Effective insecticides may display significant short-term benefits, but the struggle against our toughest pests often is a long-term proposition.

PRESERVING POLLINATORS. One large emerging topic was conservation of invertebrates in order to maintain “balance” on the planet. Urgent concern about honeybees and other pollinators was paramount, especially the effect of indiscriminate spray programs such as for mosquito control. Bees are the pre-eminent pollinators of crops and other flowering plants around the planet. The number of honeybees is dropping in many areas (including the United States) due to a number of factors. If honeybees and other natural pollinators continue to drop in number, we may see an effect in human terms on the amount of food we are able to produce. Honeybees have been under pressure from several species of parasitic mites and now from an undetermined foe in the case of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Efforts to unlock the secrets of CCD have not yet been successful.

One promising paper was given concerning honeybees in South Africa and their approach to an invasion of one of the mites. According to Mike Allsopp of the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa, a natural tolerance for the mite has developed in honeybee populations that have been left to sort things out on their own.

Other papers reported on the positive aspects of using bumblebees as alternate pollinators on one hand and the invasive nature of some bumblebee species on the other. In the final analysis, all pollinators are tied into human success and must be managed carefully. We in urban pest management can help by keeping honeybees and other pollinators in mind when developing and implementing exterior pest management programs.

STORED PRODUCT ENTOMOLOGY. Stored product pests continue to degrade the quality of human life by eating food products before they can get to the table. The loss has been calculated at greater than 40 percent in some areas or for some countries. Among the challenges presented to those working to control stored product pests is the emergence of resistance to certain pesticides in some groups of stored product pests. The use of biological control and natural enemies offers the potential for non-chemical and sustainable solutions to stored product pests, but there remain many questions before this becomes practical.

STORED PRODUCT FINDINGS. Other than the general global concerns and trends, there were many interesting individual presentations. Among these were several standout discussions focusing on stored product pests.

Professor Pasquale Trematerra from Italy discussed pest management in pasta plants without methyl bromide. Pest management was achievable in newer plants with pneumatic handling systems vs. old wooden structures with screw conveyers. Keeping doors and windows closed was critical, as was sealing all cracks and crevices. Trematerra used insect traps to produce his data. Interestingly, he said that Tribolium traps were inferior to observation and inspection. He also said that stored product pests must be controlled throughout the whole food chain in order to reduce the risk of infestation anywhere (e.g., in a pasta plant).

Professor Vaclav Stejskal of the Czech Republic discussed his research in flour mills. Since his country’s government does not allow methyl bromide fumigation, companies are left with only hydrogen cyanide to fumigate mills. Cylinderized HCN looks promising with some pretty good data. Fogging did not improve the situation in any mills that had poor cleaning, old equipment or wooden silos.

Dr. Manoj Nayak of Australia presented some interesting and somewhat alarming fumigation resistance data. It took 22 days of 100 ppm of phosphine to kill lesser grain borers when wheat was at 68 degrees. Concentrations of 720 ppm for 19 days at 77 degrees did not harm foreign grain beetles. Even more surprising, he needed nine days of 720 ppm to kill psocids.

Dr. Jin-Jun Wang of China presented data showing resistance of seven species of psocids to fumigants and controlled atmosphere storage. He and several other presenters stated that psocids are a rapidly increasing worldwide pest of foods and feed.

Dr. Steven Belmain of the United Kingdom reported diverse results with botanical pesticides. The lesser grain borer was not affected by them but the maize weevil was repelled by them.

DIVERSE RESEARCH COVERAGE. Other memorable presentations covered a wide array of topics. Josh Benoit, a student from the United States, reported diverse responses of bed bugs to various concentrations of bed bug alarm pheromone. At low concentrations, it was more like an aggregation pheromone for feeding or returning to the harborage or colony, causing various degrees of excitement. At higher concentrations, it affected mating by repelling males from fed females and reducing traumatic insemination. At other high concentrations, the pheromone really was an alarm pheromone. High concentrations from disturbed bed bugs was said to be the characteristic “bed bug smell” that people have historically tried to describe.

Bryan Lessard, an entomology student from Australia, presented some significant findings from his elegantly simple research. In forensic entomology, the post mortem interval (PMI) often is determined based on the most advanced life stage of flies found on the body and the weather records for the area. It is assumed that flies fly and lay their eggs during daylight to start the PMI timeline. Lessard found that several species of blow flies will fly and lay their eggs in the dark and most all of them would be active around lights at night or under a visible moon or in areas of dim lighting. His findings have implications for structural pest management as well as forensic entomology.

Ying-Sheue Wei from Taiwan described people’s fascination with insects. A new tourist activity in Taiwan is to stay at “Leisure Farms” of which there are already more than a thousand. The most popular activities at the surveyed leisure farms were observing fireflies, butterflies and dragonflies. Beehives also were popular and considered important. Guests often asked about better techniques to raise giant beetles (e.g., rhinoceros beetles). Rearing of pet beetles is a big hobby in some Asian countries and kits can be found in many stores.

Dr. Marion Kotrba from Germany presented a fascinating paper on a European seasonal invader (Thaumatomyia notata). Huge swarms (20 million to 30 million) of this small fly seem to seek out tall buildings to overwinter after the first rain in autumn. Since 2003, huge piles of these flies have occurred in the same rooms in the same buildings. Currently, there are no good control strategies.

Always a popular subject, a number of research papers focused on the topic of termites. One of the more interesting was a presentation by Dr. Farkhanda Manzoor of Pakistan who reported on the short-term and long-term performance of fipronil and bifenthrin on native subterranean termite species.

Another presentation may provide a helpful tip on finding yellowjacket nests. The entomologist, in order to measure foraging distances of wasps, offered a small piece of food to foraging yellowjackets. The piece of food had a small bright ribbon attached to it. When the insect flew to the nest, the entomologist was able to follow it more easily by watching the flight of the ribbon.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT. There were many other interesting presentations at the meeting, including maggot therapy case studies, use of an electron beam to kill stored product insects (not really practical), effects of global warming on insects (more pest outbreaks), the complexity and diversity of insect behavior (you can’t guarantee what will happen next), the success of insects when compared to dinosaurs (insects are survivors), and the importance of sanitation to the success of other pest control measures (e.g., fumigation, fogging and baiting).

One of the best values of the International Congress of Entomology was the opportunity to meet scientists from diverse cultures to discuss entomology and applied entomology. The conference also offered the opportunity to meet new people and/or to renew friendships and catch up on the latest happenings in their lives, businesses/institutions and countries. The whole experience was stimulating and rewarding.

Jim Sargent is director of technical support and regulatory compliance for Copesan Services, Menomonee Falls, Wis. Mark “Shep” Sheperdigian is vice president of technical services for Rose Pest Solutions in Troy, Mich. Eric Smith is director of technical services for Dodson Bros. in Lynchburg, Va. Tom Myers is president of All-Rite Pest Control in Lexington, Ky.

In the Spotlight: Durban, South Africa

Durban is a busy, growing seaport city of more than 4 million people (about half the size of Johannesburg), located in southeastern South Africa on the Indian Ocean coastline. The weather during the conference and the surroundings seemed similar to San Diego in January. Durban has the same problems as other major cities in the world — poverty, homelessness, crime, drugs, AIDS, pests (e.g., rats) and transportation challenges.

South Africa, as a country, has an abundance of natural resources — with the exception of clean water — but faces the same problems as Durban (on a larger scale). For example, there are estimated to be thousands of illegal immigrants from other African countries arriving every day in South Africa. The adult unemployment rate tops 20 percent with that number increasing to more than 40 percent if the country’s illegal immigrant population is included.

Currently the big news, besides illegal immigration, is the increase in the price of gasoline, which is produced locally from coal.

New Insect Order Symposium Held

Problems involving insect names, the process of handling names via computer programs and the evolution of insect groups utilizing DNA data continue to be hot topics of discussion.

A symposium held on the final day of the conference presented current research surrounding the recently described new order of insects, the Mantophasmatodea (above). This order fits somewhere between the walking sticks and praying mantids. They are commonly called “heelwalkers” and are highly predaceous insects. One particularly thrilling event was the opportunity to see live specimens of the heelwalkers, both at the conference and at the Durban Museum of Natural History.