| 1. |
- Campolo, Orlando, et al.
(författare)
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Field efficacy of two organic acids against Varroa destructor
- 2017
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Ingår i: Entomologia generalis. - : E SCHWEIZERBARTSCHE VERLAGSBUCHHANDLUNG. - 0171-8177. ; 36:3, s. 251-260
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The parasitization of honeybees by Varroa destructor represents a serious limiting factor for beekeeping. The past and current widespread use of synthetic acaricides, such as fluvalinate and coumaphos, results in the onset of pest resistance, therefore research efforts focused on the use of alternative solutions to control the population of this parasitic mite. In the present study, the efficacy of two formulates containing Oxalic Acid (OA) or Formic Acid (FA) was evaluated in real field conditions. Our results demonstrated the effectiveness of the OA formulate in controlling more than 90% of V. destructor phoretic population. On the other hand, FA shown an efficacy of 60% on phoretic mites. A similar pattern was highlighted on brood and adult bees’ infestation. The OA formulate showed a proper efficacy, highlighting its potential as alternative to chemical substances in holding the increase of V. destructor during a late summer treatment.
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| 2. |
- Laudani, Francesca, et al.
(författare)
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RNAi-mediated gene silencing in Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Oliver) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
- 2017
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Ingår i: Open Life Sciences. - : De Gruyter Open. - 2391-5412. ; 12:1, s. 214-222
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful strategy for gene function analysis, and it is also widely studied in view of a promising use in pest control. The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Oliver) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is one of the most devastating pests of palm in the world. Conventional pest management practices are not adequate to control this insect, thus the development of efficient approaches with minimal environmental impact are needed. In this work, the potential of RNAi in R. ferrugineus has been investigated through the silencing of three different genes (alpha-amylase, V-ATPase, Ecdysone receptor). For each gene we tested two different doses (1,500 and 5,500 ng) and two delivery techniques (injection and ingestion), evaluating both gene knockdown and mortality on insects. Results show that RNAi mediated gene silencing in R. ferrugineus varies from gene to gene, and that the response is dose-dependent, with stronger effects when dsRNA was administered by injection. In parallel, the same study was carried out with the model organism Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), with results showing a different pattern of response, although the two insects belong to the same order.
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| 3. |
- Strano, Cinzia P., et al.
(författare)
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Influence of Host Plant on Thaumetopoea pityocampa Gut Bacterial Community
- 2018
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Ingår i: Microbial Ecology. - : SPRINGER. - 0095-3628 .- 1432-184X. ; 75:2, s. 487-494
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microbial communities associated to the gut of insects are attracting an increasing interest, mainly because of their role in influencing several host life-traits. The characterization of the gut microbial community is pivotal for understanding insect ecology and, thus, to develop novel pest management strategies. The pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pytiocampa (Denis amp; Schiff.) (Lepidoptera: Thaumetopoeidae), is a severe defoliator of pine forests, able to feed on several pine species. In this work, we performed a metabarcoding analysis to investigate, for the first time, the diversity of the gut bacterial community of pine processionary larvae associated with three different host pine species (Pinus halepensis, Pinus nigra subsp. laricio, and Pinus pinaster). We found that the gut microbial community of T. pityocampa larvae collected on P. halapensis was different from that associated with larvae collected from P. nigra and P. pinaster. Moreover, the high presence of bacteria belonging to the genera Modestobacter, Delftia, and unidentified Methylobacteriaceae retrieved in larvae feeding on P. halapensis suggested that specific interactions can occur. Our results provide the evidence that different host plant differently impact on the microbiota diversity of T. pityocampa larvae, contributing to the general knowledge of this pest with information that could be useful in shaping the next generation of pest control strategies.
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| 4. |
- Zoccali, Paolo, et al.
(författare)
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A novel GIS-based approach to assess beekeeping suitability of Mediterranean lands
- 2017
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Ingår i: SAUDI JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. - 1319-562X. ; 24:5, s. 1045-1050
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Honeybees are critically important for the environment and to the economy. However, there are in substantial decline worldwide, leading to serious threat to the stability and yield of food crops. Beekeeping is of pivotal importance, combining the wide economical aspect of honey production and the important ecological services provided by honeybees. In this scenario, the prompt identification of beekeeping areas is strategic, since it maximised productivity and lowered the risks of colony losses. Fuzzy logic is an ideal approach for problem-solving tasks, as it is specifically designed to manage problems with a high degree of uncertainty. This research tested a novel GIS-based approach to assess beekeeping suitability of lands located in Calabria (Southern Italy), without relying to Analytic Hierarchy Process - Multiple Criteria Decision Making (AHP-MCDM), thus avoiding the constraints due to the technique and decision makers’ influences. Furthermore, the data used here were completely retrieved from open access sources, high-lighting that our approach is characterized by low costs and can be easily reproduced for a wide arrays of geographical contexts. Notably, the results obtained by our experiments were validated by the actual beekeeping reality. Besides beekeeping, the use of this system could not only be applied in beekeeping land suitability evaluations, but may be successfully extended to other types of land suitability evaluations. (C) 2017 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.
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