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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Maricopa, Arizona » U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center » Pest Management and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #406128
Research Project: Sustainable Pest Management for Arid-Land Agroecosystems

Location: Pest Management and Biocontrol Research

Title: No effect of a fluorophore taggant on western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus roaming and flight behavior

Author
item Hagler, James
item Casey, Miles
item Machtley, Scott
item Merten, Paul

Submitted to: Entomologia Generalis
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/12/2024
Publication Date: 2/25/2024
Citation: Hagler, J.R., Casey, M.T., Machtley, S.A., Merten, P. 2024. No effects of a fluorophore taggant on western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus roaming and flight behavior. Entomologia Generalis. 44(1):115-119.

Interpretive Summary: Tracking insect movement in agroecosystems is essential for efficiently managing arthropod pests and conserving natural enemies and pollinators. A new method for marking insects was recently described for tracking insects in their habitat. The taggant consisted of green-colored glow-in-the-dark liquid fluorophore. Research has shown that the fluorophore is well retained on many insect taxa. Scientists at the ARS laboratory in Maricopa, Arizona, examined the behavioral effects of the fluorophore mark on the lygus bug, a major economic pest on various crops (e.g., cotton, alfalfa, strawberry, etc.). The results reported here and from previous research show the fluorophore product has enormous potential for mark-release-recapture type research.

Technical Abstract: The liquid fluorescent material, SmartWater®, has recently been reported as an effective external mark for arthropods. In this study, we examined the behavioral effects of the SmartWater marker on Lygus hesperus (Knight) (Hemiptera: Miridae). Specifically, we quantified the roaming and flight characteristics of unmarked, water-marked, and SmartWater-marked specimens. The results showed no significant differences in L. hesperus roaming and flight speeds, distances, and durations between the mark treatments. The results reported here and from previous research show that the SmartWater product has enormous potential for mark-release-recapture type research.