Rodrigo Soares Ramos

BACKGROUND: Striacosta albicosta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important pest that causes damage to corn and dry beans. This pest originally occurred only in parts of the western United States, but initiated a concerning range expansion in 1999 and is now present in eastern North America, particularly in the Great Lakes region. Consequently, evaluating the geographical distribution of this insect is very important for its management, as it helps to identify current occurrences and predict future spread into different regions of the world. We investigated areas suitable for the establishment of the pest S. albicosta and its hosts, under current and future climate scenarios. RESULTS: The variables that contributed most to the model were the mean annual temperature range, mean annual temperature, and precipitation of the driest month. Although the pest is currently restricted to North America, the study indicates that regions in Europe, Asia, Oceania, South America, and Africa also present suitable conditions for its occurrence. Under current conditions, 11.41% of the area was classified as suitable, whereas 8.81% was identified as highly suitable for S. albicosta . CONCLUSION: This study is the first to identify regions with suitable climatic conditions for the introduction and establishment of this pest under current and future climate scenarios. These results can guide government agencies in implementing preventive measures, such as inspections and quarantines, to prevent the spread of this pest to new areas. © 2025 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), also known as fall armyworm, is one of the main pests in corn and is becoming increasingly frequent in soybean. Due to its polyphagous nature, it adapts rapidly to host plants, and the alternation between soybean and corn favors its development and permanence in agricultural environments. The damage caused to soybeans varies according to the larval instars, feeding on seedlings, leaves, shoots, flowers, and pods. The increasing incidence of S. frugiperda in soybean crops and the challenges for its control, including insecticide resistance and genetically modified plants, highlight the urgent need for continuous monitoring and research to develop sustainable and integrated management methods. In this context, the objective of this work was to test the application of the synthetic sex pheromone Pherogen® Spray FAW, which aims to suppress the mating of S. frugiperda through mating disruption. Pherogen® Spray FAW was responsible for reducing the capture of male S. frugiperda moths and reducing the population of this species in commercial Bt soybean crops in three different Brazilian states. These results suggest that the use of behavioral management, through mating disruption with pheromones, is a control alternative, as there is greater difficulty for males to find females and mate, consequently, reducing the population of caterpillars.

BACKGROUND: The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda , has increased in importance as a pest over the past decade in Brazilian cotton fields. The limited efficacy of conventional management tools and rapid development of insecticide/ insecticidal proteins resistance is forcing growers to search for new and more sustainable solutions. Here, we report the results from two studies utilizing a microencapsulated sprayable pheromone formulation in Brazilian cotton fields. The first study aimed to define optimal timing to initiate spray applications, optimal number of spray applications and appropriate intervals between spray applications. The second study was a large‐scale effort to estimate the efficacy provided by the pheromone sprayable formulation in reducing mating (using trapping reduction as a surrogate measure) and subsequent damage to cotton plants. RESULTS: The highest FAW male moth suppression was achieved when pheromone was sprayed 10 times at an interval of 7–10 days between applications starting at the cotton first headpin square. In large‐scale plots (e.g. 40–200 ha), overall median trapping reduction was estimated as 82% (95% CI: 76–87%) in pheromone‐treated areas compared to the control plot, over the evaluated period. Additionally, pheromone treatment resulted in an overall median of 27% less damaged reproductive structures (95% CI: 17–37%) when compared to nontreated areas. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of mating disruption as a selective and nontoxic behavioral tool to manage FAW in cotton as an area‐wide approach. It represents a key step for developing more sustainable methods for pest management. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are social insects and important pests in the urban environment. The main groups of pest ants in the urban environment are leafcutter and house ants. Leaf-cutter ants cause crescent-shaped defoliation of plants, where in the urban environment it causes problems in gardens and ornamental plants. Domestic ants cause human health problems, contaminate food and cause problems in equipment and buildings. In this work, we propose an integrated ant management program in urban environments. For that, a bibliographic review was carried out addressing the following topics: life cycle of ants, main groups of pest ants, factors that influence their attack, decision-making systems, management strategies and tactics. It is observed that ants are pests that are difficult to control, and successful control is related to the correct execution of the various components of integrated pest management. Regarding control tactics, chemical control is the main method used to control ants in urban environments because the effectiveness of other methods (ie, biological and behavioral control) is poor.

The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., is a difficult urban pest to control. A simulated field study was conducted to compare the efficacy of steam application and an insecticide mixture spray (0.05% acetamiprid and 0.06% bifenthrin mixture) against C. lectularius. Three types of furniture (desk chair, upholstered armchair, and wooden table) were treated in the laboratory. The efficacy of the treatments was evaluated by visual inspection and placement of interceptor traps under the legs of the furniture. One hundred mixed stages of an insecticide-resistant population of C. lectularius were released onto each furniture item. After a 10-day acclimation period, each furniture item received steam treatment, insecticide spray, or no treatment. The second application of treatment was conducted 14 d later. Bed bug counts from interceptors and visual inspections were recorded at 13 d and 28 d after the initial treatment. At 28 d, the mean (± SE) live bed bug count in the steam, spray, and control group was 1 ± 0, 2 ± 1, and 83 ± 10, respectively. Both treatment methods were highly effective in controlling bed bugs on furniture. The mean bed bug count from interceptors in the steam, spray, and control groups were 0.3 ± 0.2, 11 ± 7, and 47 ± 9, respectively. There was no significant difference in the efficacy between steam and spray treatments based on either visual inspection or bed bug counts from interceptors. However, based on interceptor counts, the steam treatment caused faster bed bug population reduction than insecticide sprays.

The aim of this study was to develop a simple and efficient laboratory rearing method for Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Guen., 1854) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). To this end, seven bioassays were performed to evaluate the survival and reproductive characteristics of N. elegantalis for rearing populations in the laboratory with artificial and natural fruits. Neoleucinodes elegantalis was affected by the size and color of artificial fruits and the number of couples per cage. It was found that larvae fed with natural fruits of Solanum gilo had a greater survival rate and larval and pupal duration. Pupal survival rate did not differ between treatments. However, pupae of larvae fed S. gilo and S. melongena had the highest weights in both males and females. The highest percentage of fully formed adults was observed in the S. gilo treatment. The sex ratio did not differ between treatments, and the increase in larvae per fruit decreased larval survival, which was not observed in pupae. The results obtained in this study are significant because they reveal biological, ecological, and behavioral aspects of N. elengantalis and contribute to the expansion of techniques for mass rearing of this insect pest in the laboratory, which is essential for several other entomological studies.

BACKGROUND: In precision integrated pest management, management tactics are implemented only where and when needed, by identifying the sites where the pest population has reached economic thresholds. Tomato, Solanum lycopersicum (Linn.), is a vegetable cultivated worldwide, but its production is reduced by insect pests such as the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.). To improve management, there is a need to understand B. tabaci spatial dynamics in tomato fields, which will elucidate colonization patterns and may improve management of this pest. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the spatial autocorrelation, distribution, and colonization patterns of B. tabaci in 19 commercial tomato fields through the growing season.RESULTS: A total of 69 isotropic variograms were fit for B. tabaci. The insect distribution was aggregated with a strong level of spatial dependence. Ranges of spatial dependence varied from 0.53 to 19.05 m and 0.5 to 20 m for adults and nymphs, respectively. Overall, densities of adults and nymphs were higher and reached the economic threshold mainly at the field edges.CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a colonization pattern for B. tabaci starting at the edges and spreading inwards in to the tomato fields. This study can improve B. tabaci management in tomato fields, especially scouting and decision‐making to treat fields. Scouting for this pest should be directed to the field edges, with sample points at least 20 m apart from each other for independent insect counts. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry