This study shows how to navigate the diversity of options presented in current ecological theory by developing the first general model of the entomological research requirements of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The book includes practical advice on understanding and investigating species; examines the ecological problems associated with polyphagous pests and beneficial species; and scrutinizes ways suggested to improve insect biological control. It is an important resource for graduate students and researchers in IPM, insect pest management, entomology, ecology and crop protection.

Arthropod pests cause huge annual losses in global crop production and transmit a number of infectious diseases. The control of such pests is therefore of the utmost importance. This text provides an up-to-date, detailed overview of current approaches including chemical pest control, the use of biological and biorational control agents, and the latest developments in biotechnology. While an introductory text for students in the fields of pest control, entomology, crop protection, and agricultural and environmental sciences, the volume is also aimed at professional pest control practitioners and government employees in extension services.

There is now a considerable literature on chemical ecology, which had its beginnings in the study of insect pheromones. This beginning was possible only by combining the disciplines and techniques of biology and chemistry. For a biologist, it is difficult to understand the time frames of analytical and synthetic chemistry. A compound may take days to characterize and be available in minutes from a bottle on the shelf, or it may take years to characterize and synthesize. Chemists have a similar frustration: after an intense programme of work, the insect in question may not emerge for many months. study are, however, The rewards of integrated interdisciplinary considerable, because they allow us to understand many facets of insect behaviour and consequently to control that behaviour for our own ends. In this book, we have set out to explain the results of research from chemical and biological perspectives, and see how the knowledge gained has led to novel techniques that can be used in insect pest management and insect control. An important part of understanding insect chemical ecology involves the understanding not only of new concepts but of the vocabularies used by scientists specializing in different fields. It will be clear that the three sections of this book have been written by three different people: an insect behaviourist, an organic chemist and a biologist in industry."

An examination of political conflicts over pesticide drift and the differing conceptions of justice held by industry, regulators, and activists. The widespread but virtually invisible problem of pesticide drift-the airborne movement of agricultural pesticides into residential areas-has fueled grassroots activism from Maine to Hawaii. Pesticide drift accidents have terrified and sickened many living in the country's most marginalized and vulnerable communities. In this book, Jill Lindsey Harrison considers political conflicts over pesticide drift in California, using them to illuminate the broader problem and its potential solutions. The fact that pesticide pollution and illnesses associated with it disproportionately affect the poor and the powerless raises questions of environmental justice (and political injustice). Despite California's impressive record of environmental protection, massive pesticide regulatory apparatus, and booming organic farming industry, pesticide-related accidents and illnesses continue unabated. To unpack this conundrum, Harrison examines the conceptions of justice that increasingly shape environmental politics and finds that California's agricultural industry, regulators, and pesticide drift activists hold different, and conflicting, notions of what justice looks like. Drawing on her own extensive ethnographic research as well as in-depth interviews with regulators, activists, scientists, and public health practitioners, Harrison examines the ways industry, regulatory agencies, and different kinds of activists address pesticide drift, connecting their efforts to communitarian and libertarian conceptions of justice. The approach taken by pesticide drift activists, she finds, not only critiques theories of justice undergirding mainstream sustainable-agriculture activism, but also offers an entirely new notion of what justice means. To solve seemingly intractable environmental problems such as pesticide drift, Harrison argues, we need a different kind of environmental justice. She proposes the precautionary principle as a framework for effectively and justly addressing environmental inequities in the everyday work of environmental regulatory institutions.

What are the ecological attributes of weeds that confer the ability to interfere with human activities? Roger Cousens and Martin Mortimer place weed management within an ecological context, with the focus on the manipulation of population size. The dynamics of abundance and spatial distribution are considered at both geographic and local scales. The basic processes of dispersal, reproduction and mortality are described, together with the factors that influence them. Management is shown to modify patterns of behaviour that are intrinsic to populations. Attention is given to the evolution and management of resistance to herbicides. This book provides weed science with the conceptual basis that has previously been lacking. It also gives ecologists access to the extensive database on the population ecology of weeds.

Due to the nature of agricultural commodities as carriers of exotic pests, importing countries have employed varying methods of pest control for postharvest products. Thermal treatments are emerging as effective, environmentally-friendly alternatives to traditional methods, eliminating chemical residues and minimizing damage to produce. This book provides comprehensive information of these increasingly important treatments, covering temperature measurement, heat transfer, physiological responses of plants, insects and pathogens to heat, and an introduction to current and potential quarantine treatments based on hot air, hot water, and radio frequency energy.

Biological controls that utilize natural predation, parasitism or other natural mechanisms, is an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides. Chemical pesticide methods are becoming less readily available due to increasing resistance problems and the prohibition of some substances. This book addresses the challenges of insufficient information and imperfectly understood regulatory processes in using biopesticides. It takes an interdisciplinary approach providing internationally comparative analyses on the registration of biopesticides and debates future biopesticide practices.

Providing a critical evaluation of the management strategies involved in ecologically-based pest management, this book presents a balanced overview of environmentally safe and ecologically sound approaches. Topics covered include biological control with fungi and viruses, conservation of natural predators, use of botanicals and how effective pest management can help promote food security. In the broader context of agriculture, sustainability and environmental protection, the book provides a multidisciplinary and multinational perspective on integrated pest management useful to researchers in entomology, crop protection, environmental sciences and pest management.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacteria use Cry proteins to kill their insect larval hosts. The expression of certain Cry toxins in transgenic crops has been widely used to achieve efficient control of insect pests. This book describes the use of Bt crops and the emerging problem of resistance, recent progress in understanding the mechanism of action of Bt toxins, different resistance mechanisms and strategies to cope with resistance in the field. It describes resistant insects found in the field in different countries, particularly in the developing world, and ways to counter resistance such as gene stalking, refuges, modified toxins and gene discovery of novel toxins with different mode of action.

The management of tropical forest ecosystems is essential to the health of the planet. This book addresses forest insect pest problems across the world's tropics, addressing the pests' ecology, impact and possible approaches for their control. Fully updated, this second edition also includes discussions of new areas of interest including climate change, invasive species, forest health and plant clinics. This work is an indispensible resource for students, researchers and practitioners of forestry, ecology, pest management and entomology in tropical and subtropical countries.

Plant-parasitic nematodes are recognized as one of the limiting factors in crop production all over the world. They impair the quality of crops and cause significant yield losses, seriously threatening global food security. Management of these creatures is a vital aspect of the agricultural process and has often depended upon the use of hazardous chemical nematicides, but the disadvantages of these substances have created interest in searching for alternate safe methods of phytonematode management. This book highlights the use of biocontrol agents as a novel, eco-friendly approach in the management of plant-parasitic nematodes. Besides covering the ecology, diversity and geographical distribution, survival biology and virulence mechanisms of potential biocontrol agents, their limitations have also been described. Reviewing biocontrol agents such as nematophafous fungi, parasitic bacteria, predaceous mites, rhizobacteria, mycorrhiza and predaceous nematodes, the book discusses future research needs in detail. Written in a clear and informative style by eminent nematologists from around the world, this book provides a source of valuable information for researchers, teachers, students of plant nematologym enabling them to plan better strategies for managing plant-parasitic nematodes.

The management of tropical forest ecosystems is essential to the health of the planet. This book addresses forest insect pest problems across the world's tropics, addressing the pests' ecology, impact and possible approaches for their control. Fully updated, this second edition also includes discussions of new areas of interest including climate change, invasive species, forest health and plant clinics. This work is an indispensible resource for students, researchers and practitioners of forestry, ecology, pest management and entomology in tropical and subtropical countries.

Pollinators play a vital role in ecosystem health and are essential to ensuring food security. With declines in both managed and wild pollinator populations in recent years, scientists and regulators have sought answers to this problem and have explored implementing steps to protect pollinator populations now and for the future. "Pesticide Risk Assessment for Pollinators" focuses on the role pesticides play in impacting bee populations and looks to develop a risk assessment process, along with the data to inform that process, to better assess the potential risks that can accompany the use of pesticide products.

"Pesticide Risk Assessment for Pollinators" opens with two chapters that provide a biological background of both "Apis" and non-"Apis" species of pollinators. Chapters then present an overview of the general regulatory risk assessment process and decision-making processes. The book then discusses the core elements of a risk assessment, including exposure estimation, laboratory testing, and field testing. The book concludes with chapters on statistical and modeling tools, and proposed additional research that may be useful in developing the ability to assess the impacts of pesticide use on pollinator populations.

Summarizing the current state of the science surrounding risk assessment for "Apis" and non-"Apis" species, "Pesticide Risk Assessment for Pollinators" is a timely work that will be of great use to the environmental science and agricultural research communities.Assesses pesticide risk to native and managed pollinatorsSummarizes the state of the science in toxicity testing and risk assessmentProvides valuable biological overviews of both "Apis" and non-"Apis" pollinatorsDevelops a plausible overall risk assessment framework for regulatory decision makingLooks towards a globally harmonized approach for pollinator toxicity and risk assessment

Mites pose a serious problem to plants worldwide, attacking crops and spreading disease. When mites damage crops of economic importance the impacts can be felt globally. Mites are among the most diverse and successful of invertebrates, with over 45,000 described species, with many more thousands to be discovered. They are responsible for a significant portion of the losses of crops for food, fibre, industry and other purposes, and require expensive and often controversial pest control measures. Understanding these mites is vital for entomologists, pest researchers, agronomists and food producers. Knowledge of mite pests helps to inform control strategies and optimize the production of economic plants and the agrarian economy. This encyclopedia provides a thorough coverage of the mites and the problems they cause to crops, yet it is easily searchable, organised by mite species and subdivided into helpful headings. It takes a worldwide view of the issue of mites injurious to economic plants, describing mites prevalent in different regions and discussing control methods appropriate in different environments. This book provides an encyclopaedic reference to the major mites, described by family in terms of their internal and external morphology, bio-ecology and family systematics. Methods of mite collection and laboratory study is described, as well as species diagnostic characteristics, worldwide distribution, host plants, identification by the type of damage they cause and control strategies, including chemical and biological intervention and integrated pest management measures. Mites of the following families are included: (Eriophyoidea, Tarsonemidae, Tuckerellidae, Tenuipalpidae, Tetranychidae, Acaridae, Penthaleidae). The Handbook of Mites of Economic Plants is an important resource for students of entomology and crop production, and as a thorough reference guide for researchers and field workers involved with mites, crop damage and food production.

Ladybirds are probably the best known predators of aphids and coccids in the world, though this greatly underestimates the diversity of their biology. Maximising their impact on their prey is an important element in modern conservation biological control of indigenous natural enemies in contrast to the classical approach of releasing alien species. Ivo Hodek is one of the most internationally respected experts on coccinellids who has researched these insects for his entire career. He has now brought together 14 scientists of international standing to author 12 chapters, making this book the definitive treatment of coccinellid biology and ecology. This volume covers the rapid scientific developments of recent years in the understanding of coccinellid phylogeny, the semiochemicals influencing their behaviour and of molecular genetics. Recent insights in relation to intraguild predation and the assessment of the predatory impact of coccinellids are also covered. Other special features of the volume are the extensive references covering the literature from both East and West and a taxonomic glossary of the up-to-date nomenclature for species of coccinellids as well as of other organisms mentioned in the text. While aimed at researchers, university teachers and agricultural entomologists, the book is readable and appropriate for others who just have a liking for these interesting and attractive insects.

Western Corn Rootworm, "Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte," has been a major economic pest of maize in the Americas for many years. However, since the early 1990s, it has become an increasing threat to crops in Europe and is expected to spread to all maize growing areas of the continent. This book provides a comprehensive review of current knowledge of the biology and ecology of this insect pest and how it might be managed in order to limit its damage as it spreads into new agroecological areas. Cultural, biotechnical and biological control measures are addressed, as are ecological baseline data such as population dynamics, economic thresholds and aspects of its behavior. The book also examines the potential of plant protection techniques currently used in North America to be applied in Europe.

This book has been developed from the keynote addresses delivered at the third IOBC International Symposium (co-organized with CILBA) that was held in Montpellier in October 2002, to address recent developments in genetics and evolutionary biology as applied to biological control. Chapters are organized around the following themes: Genetic structure of pest and natural enemy populations, Molecular diagnostic tools in biological control, Tracing the origin of pests and natural enemies, Predicting evolutionary change in pests and natural enemies Compatibility of transgenic crops and natural enemie, Genetic manipulation of natural enemies. The authors identify new issues for each of the major approaches in applied biological control. These include the (1) use of molecular genetics to trace the origin of target pests in classical biological control, (2) potential of mass-reared, transgenic agents in augmentative biological control, and (3) compatibility of transgenic crops and natural enemies in conservational biological control.

This book describes entomopathogenic and slug parasitic nematodes as potential biocontrol agents in crop insect and slug pest management. Addressing research on these two nematodes from tropical, subtropical and temperate countries, it covers the new techniques and major developments regarding mass production, formulation, application, commercialization and safety measures. Plans for future strategies to make these beneficial nematodes cost-effective and expand their use by including them in integrated pest management programmes in different agro-ecosystems are also discussed. Biocontrol Agents: Entomopathogenic and Slug Parasitic Nematodes provides a comprehensive review of the topic and is an essential resource for researchers, industry practitioners and advanced students in the fields of biological control and integrated pest management.

This book provides an invaluable review of the current methodologies used for assessing the environmental impacts of invertebrate biological agents used to control pests in agriculture and forestry. It explores methods to evaluate post-release effects and the environmental impact of dispersal, displacement and establishment of invertebrate biological control agents. It covers methodology on screening for contaminants, the use of molecular methods for species identification and the determination of interbreeding. The book also discusses the use and application of information on zoogeographical zones, statistical methods and risk-benefit analysis. It gives practical advice on how to perform science-based risk assessments and on how to use new technology and information.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management. It uses natural predators, pest-resistant plants, and other methods to preserve a healthy environment in an effort to decrease reliance on harmful pesticides. Featuring forty chapters written by leading experts, this textbook covers a broad and comprehensive range of topics in integrated pest management, focused primarily on theory and concepts. It is complemented by two award winning websites, which are regularly updated and emphasize specific IPM tactics, their application, and IPM case studies: Radcliffe's IPM World Textbook - http: //ipmworld.umn.edu VegEdge - www.vegedge.umn.edu The two products are fully cross-referenced and form a unique and highly valuable resource. Written with an international audience in mind, this text is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on Integrated Pest Management, Insect or Arthropod Pest Management. It is also a valuable resource for researchers, extension specialists and IPM practitioners worldwide.

There are probably more deer in the United Kingdom now than there have been in the past thousand years. As they have increased in numbers and distribution so, too, have the issues associated with them. Practical Deer Management offers candid and comprehensive advice for anyone who has to deal with deer and the issues they present, be they gardeners suffering attacks on their flower beds, foresters looking to prevent damage to newly planted trees, or landowners with larger scale problems. While a wealth of information on deer exists already, a career in teaching countryside managers quickly made it apparent that there was a need for a straightforward and comprehensive volume that is accessible to all. Written to be clear and easily understood, Practical Deer Management looks at the deer themselves and suggests non-lethal protective measures in addition to more active management, with attention given to other considerations such as health, the law and the practical construction of infrastructure such as high seats. A humane approach is stressed throughout. Practical Deer Management is an essential handbook for anyone who has to deal with deer and the problems that they may present.

HERBICIDES AND PLANT PHYSIOLOGY Discover the latest developments in herbicide and weed biology In the newly revised Third Edition of Herbicides and Plant Physiology, distinguished researcher Professor Dr. Andrew H. Cobb delivers an insightful and comprehensive examination of the interaction between herbicides and plant physiology. The book discusses many of the advances in plant physiology, utilizing data from the Arabidopsis genome, and gene editing techniques that have occurred in the last dozen years. This latest edition includes a variety of new and recent references addressing the latest developments in plant research. In addition to a complete introduction to weed biology, the book discusses the modern plant protection industry and the processes by which herbicides are discovered and developed. Readers will find discussions of new targets for the future development of new herbicides, as well as the mechanisms by which modern herbicides interact with plants and achieve their weed control objectives. The book also offers: Thorough introductions to weed biology, the modern plant protection products industry, and how herbicides are discovered and developed Comprehensive explorations of how herbicides gain entry into the plant and move to their sites of action, as well as the basis of herbicide selectivity Practical discussions of how herbicides interact with the major physiological processes in plants and accomplish weed control, including the inhibition of photosynthesis, pigment biosynthesis, and more Reviews recent developments following the use of genetically modified-herbicide resistant crops Perfect for plant biologists and agricultural scientists, this latest edition of Herbicides and Plant Physiology is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking a comprehensive and robust treatment of the latest advances in plant physiology and herbicide action.

The brown recluse is a fascinating spider very well adapted to dwelling in houses and other buildings. Because of this very quality and the ghastly reputation associated with the medical consequences of its bite, it has become infamous throughout North America. Although recluse spiders can cause serious skin injuries and, in very rare cases, death, the danger posed by this spider is often exaggerated as a result of arachnophobia and the misdiagnosis of non-spider-related conditions as brown recluse bites. These misdiagnoses often occur in areas of North America where the spider does not exist, making legitimate bites improbable. One of the greatest factors that keeps the myths alive is misidentification of common (and harmless) spiders as brown recluses. With this book, Richard S. Vetter hopes to educate readers regarding the biology of the spider and medical aspects of its bites, to reduce the incidence of misdiagnoses, and to quell misplaced anxiety. In The Brown Recluse Spider, Vetter covers topics such as taxonomy, identification, misidentification, life history characteristics and biology, medical aspects of envenomations, medical conditions misdiagnosed as brown recluse bites, other spider species of medical consideration (several of which have been wrongly implicated as threats to human health), and the psychology behind the entrenched reasons why people believe so deeply in the presence of the spider in the face of strong, contradictory information. Vetter also makes recommendations for control of the spider for households in areas where the spiders are found and describes other species of recluse spiders in North America. Although The Brown Recluse Spider was written for a general audience, it is also a valuable source of information for arachnologists and medical personnel.

Many farmers in sub-Saharan Africa suffer heavily from crop losses due to stem borer pests. Insecticides are often unaffordable; therefore, maize plants must be made resistant to pests. The 'Insect Resistant Maize for Africa' (IRMA) project in Kenya was aimed at developing new maize varieties both by conventional methods and by biotechnologically incorporating the ?-endotoxin produced by the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. The author gives an impartial and chronological account of this exemplary project between 1999 and 2008, supplemented by discussions of agricultural development policy and descriptions of Kenyan smallholders and the project team. Taking critical and rational positions on the use of modern plant breeding techniques, biotechnology and development policy, this book is of interest to researchers and students, development agencies, NGOs and biotechnology companies.