Thermal requirements for development and life table statistics of Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera, Aphididae) were determined over a range of constant temperatures from 10 to 30 ~ The lower development threshold and the sum of effective temperatures were 6.9 ~ and 90.1 ~ respectively, for preimaginal development, and 5.8 ~ and 113.6 ~ from birth to the onset of reproduction. Mean total fecundity ranged from 36 larvae per female at 10 ~ to 76 larvae at 30 ~ On a time scale of days, net reproductive rate (Ro) increased with increasing temperature while generation time (T) decreased causing the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) to increase linearly from 0.115 to 0.465. On a day-degree scale rm only varied from 0.019 to 0.028 because the growth of Ro was compensated by an increase in T with increase in temperature. The nearly constant r,~ in terms of day-degrees, over a wide range of temperatures, greatly simplifies the prediction of future population numbers of A. gossypii.

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The sum of effective temperatures (SET) and lower development threshold (LDT) were established for eggs and/or pupae of central European populations of 20 species of chrysopid, coccinellid, hemerobiid, and syrphid predators of aphids. LDT ranged between 5.6° and 12.2°C, SET between 38.3 and 140.9 day degrees (dd), with broad overlap among stages and taxa. When LDT was plotted against SET, the data for both eggs and pupae were scattered along a single regression line which predicted a 0.47°C decrease in LDT per 10 dd increase in SET (r=-0.77, p<0.001). A regression calculated from published data from all over the world predicted a 0.24°C/10 dd decrease in LDT, and the data were more scattered (r=-0.38, p<0.01). This is perhaps the first report on the functional relationship between LDT and SET at the interspecific level. The species and stages differed in typical development length (VDL) and in the extent of its deceleration by low temperatures (DD). DD increased with increasing VDL, but the relative effect of low temperature on development length (DD/VDL ratio) reflected thermal adaptations consistent with the life history of the species. Polyvoltine species were less affected by low temperatures than monovoltine species, particularly the thermophilic ones.

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Insecticide bioassays were used to investigate resistance of Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to insecticides with various types of active ingredients. The efficacy baselines of selected insect growth regulators (fenoxycarb), insect growth inhibitors (diflubenzuron and teflubenzuron), organophoshorous insecticides (phosalone), and neonicotinoids (thiacloprid) against the eggs and first and fifth instars of sensitive laboratory strains of codling moth were determined. According to concentration-mortality baseline, 50% lethality concentration values and 90% lethality concentration values were determined for all the tested insecticides. The lethal concentration ratio quantified the relation between the efficacy of selected insecticides against fifth instars found by topical application and against first instars found by diet-treated bioassay. No difference was detected when the efficacy of technical grade diflubenzuron diluted in tetrahydrofuran and diflubenzuron in the formulated product Dimilin 48 SC diluted in water was compared. However, just before the application of insecticide, the integument of larvae must be treated with acetone. Two bioassays were used to monitor the resistance of codling moths collected in 2003-2005 in two apple (Malus spp.) orchards with different intensities of chemical control. Resistance ratios (RRs) to the tested insecticides were determined for both field populations of codling moth. For the population of codling moth from a commercial apple orchard in Velké Bílovice, cross-resistance to fenoxycarb, teflubenzuron, and phosalone was detected after the topical application of insecticides to fifth instars. The population of codling moth from Prague-Ruzyne was slightly resistant to phosalone and teflubenzuron. No resistance to diflubenzuron was detected in either tested population.

The side effects of methoxyfenozide, indoxacarb, pyridaben, acetamiprid, azadirachtin A, spinosad, and propargite on Aphidius colemani, Aphidoletes aphidimyza, and Neoseiulus cucumeris were tested under laboratory conditions. Methoxyfenozide had low toxic effect on all three species, causing mortality after 24 h in 4.4, 11.4, and 29.3% of N. cucumeris, A. colemani, and A. aphidimyza, respectively. Similarly, indoxacarb caused mortality after 24 h in 11.9, 20.0, and 24.9% of A. aphidimyza, N. cucumeris, and A. colemani, respectively. In general, N. cucumeris exhibited the lowest sensitivity to all the insecticides. In contrast, A. colemani was highly sensitive to most of the tested insecticides. Methoxyfenozide was shown to significantly reduce fecundity of A. aphidimyza. In contrast, there was no effect of pure azadirachtin A on A. colemani fecundity. Results showed that both methoxyfenozide and indoxacarb would be suitable for use in the integrated pest management (IPM) because of their low toxic effect against all of the tested model species of natural enemies.

Both RFLP and Bi-PASA were suitable for detecting resistance alleles to pyrethroids, and in most cases also for detecting resistance alleles to organophosphates. In contrast to Bi-PASA, RFLP was also suitable for samples with lower DNA quality when testing for the resistance allele to pyrethroids. On the other hand, RFLP was not as accurate as Bi-PASA in detection of the organophosphate resistance allele.

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