Journal of Pest Science (2020) 93, 91-102

Raul Narciso C. Guedes, Felix A. Cervantes, Elaine A. Backus and Spencer S. Walse (2020)
Electropenetrography of spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) on pesticide-treated strawberry
Journal of Pest Science 93 (1), 91-102
Abstract: Many behaviors are associated with host selection by arthropod pests. The treatment of a host, such as with a pesticide, may impact behaviors involved in this selection whose understanding yields opportunities for pest management. AC–DC electropenetrography (EPG) allows real-time monitoring of insect behaviors, but its use has emphasized feeding activities of hemipteroid insects. Recent improvement in electropenetrography (AC–DC) has made it amenable for use with non-hemipteroid species, such as the invasive spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii). Therefore, AC–DC EPG was used for the first quantitative study of a non-hemipteroid insect to monitor behaviors of spotted wing drosophila on strawberry fruits treated with either the fungicide fenhexamid or the insecticide spinetoram, in addition to a non-treated control. EPG was used to characterize three behavioral phases of the insect: non-probing (i.e., resting, grooming, and walking), feeding, and egg-laying. The first two phases were affected by sublethal pesticide exposure, but egg-laying was not. Both pesticides decreased the number of non-probing events, but increased their overall durations, while the opposite took place with feeding, especially in spinetoram-treated strawberry. Regarding feeding activity, both pesticides compromised insect dabbing and ingestion with particularly strong impairment by spinetoram, which also compromised how long the females survived (i.e., longevity). EPG revealed valuable insights regarding the behavioral assessment of pesticide-treated hosts by an insect pest. Specifically, the feeding of female of spotted wing drosophila was significantly impaired on strawberries treated with spinetoram compromising female longevity. Though deserving further attention, the fungicide fenhexamid exhibited a relatively mild effect on feeding, but did not affect adult longevity.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Raul Narciso C. Guedes, Elaine A. Backus

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
control - general

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Drosophila suzukii