While weed management is often thought of as an agricultural issue, weeds are also problematic for homeowners, public space managers and utilities. In these situations, weeds are typically hand‐pulled, mechanically treated or managed via herbicides. Hand pulling and mechanical treatments are labour‐intensive, and all control methods may have unintended off‐target impacts, necessitating new alternatives for weed control. We have developed a method of using electricity to effectively manage unwanted plants. A series of experiments was conducted with the aim of developing operating protocols with consideration to specific scenarios: we tested a system on Morus alba (mulberry) and Ulmus pumila saplings, determined the response of Tamarix spp. (tamarisk) to different electricity doses, evaluated electricity as pre‐emergent weed control in xeriscaping, and tested the ability of electricity to prevent climbing growth by the vine Convolvulus arvensis (field bindweed). Tests on M. alba and U. pumila demonstrated that low doses of electricity applied over several days are effective in killing trees up to 20 cm in diameter. The Tamarix experiment showed that the plants displayed typical dose–response characteristics with higher doses leading to less plant growth. Results of the pre‐emergent weed control experiment demonstrated the excellent ability of electricity to prevent weed growth, with treated plots having a mean weed cover of 4% compared to 94% in control plots after 4 months. Finally, electricity was shown to be 100% effective in preventing C. arvensis from climbing poles. Our results indicate that electricity is a viable alternative to manual, mechanical or chemical methods for small tree control, pre‐emergent weed control in xeriscaping, and prevention of climbing weeds.

The hematophagous bug Triatoma rubida is a species of kissing bug that has been marked as a potential vector for the transmission of Chagas disease in the Southern United States and Northern Mexico. However, information on the distribution of T. rubida in these areas is limited. Vector monitoring is crucial to assess disease risk, so effective trapping systems are required. Kissing bugs utilize extrinsic cues to guide host-seeking, aggregation, and dispersal behaviors. These cues have been recognized as high-value targets for exploitation by trapping systems. A modern video-tracking system was used with a four-port olfactometer system to quantitatively assess the behavioral response of T. rubida to cues of known significance. Also, response of T. rubida adults to seven wavelengths of light-emitting diodes (LED) in paired-choice pitfall was evaluated. Behavioral data gathered from these experiments indicate that T. rubida nymphs orient preferentially to airstreams at either 1600 or 3200 ppm carbon dioxide and prefer relative humidity levels of about 30%, while adults are most attracted to 470 nm light. These data may serve to help design an effective trapping system for T. rubida monitoring. Investigations described here also demonstrate the experimental power of combining an olfactometer with a video-tracking system for studying insect behavior.

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