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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #341644

Research Project: Improved Biologically-Based Methods for Insect Pest Management of Crop Insect Pests

Location: Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research

Title: Behavior-based control of insect crop pests

Author
item Allan, Sandra - Sandy

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/5/2017
Publication Date: 7/26/2018
Citation: Allan, S.A. 2018. Behavior-based control of insect crop pests. In: Cordoba-Aguilar, A., Gonzales-Tokman, D., and Gonzalez-Santoyo, I. editors. Insect Behavior. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Mexico. p. 309-331.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Manipulation of insect behaviour can provide the foundation for effective strategies for control of insect crop pests. A detailed understanding of life cycles and the behavioural repertoires of insect pests is essential for development of this approach. A variety of strategies have been developed based on behavioural manipulation and include mass trapping, attract-and-kill, auto-dissemination, mating and host plant location disruption and push-pull. Insight into application of these strategies for insect pests within Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hemiptera/Thysanoptera are provided, but first with an overview of economic damage and traditional control approaches, followed by an overview of relevant behavioural/ecological traits. Then examples are provided of how these different control strategies are applied for each taxonomic group. The future of these approaches in the context of altered crop development for repellency or as anti-feedants, the effects of climate change and the risks of behaviourally-based methods are discussed.