The aim of this study was to assess the effects of three strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) on the longevity of workers of Africanized honey bee. Solutions at a concentration of 3.0 × 10 8 spores mL -1 (dosage) were prepared for each strain of Bt (IPS 82, BR 81, and BR 147). Three bioassays were performed as follows: spraying on the bees, contact with the sprayed surface, and candy paste incorporated with Bt. The bees of the Bt bioassay were submitted to histological analysis of the mesenteron. The longevity of workers was assessed from one to 120 hours using different ranges. It was found that the bees that were exposed to the strain of Bt IPS 82, in the spraying test, exhibited a reduced longevity. In the contact test, the BR 147 strain reduced the longevity of the bees. In the food test, in turn, the three studied strains reduced the longevity of the bees as follows: Bt IPS 82: 64.5 hours; Bt BR 81: 64.5 hours; and Bt BR 147: 60.0 hours. The Bt BR 81 strain was considered the most selective of the evaluated strains on Apis mellifera, reducing the longevity of this bee only when it came into contact by the method of ingestion.
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), an entomopathogenic bacterium, has been used as bioinsecticides for insect pest control worldwide. Consequently, the objective of this work was to evaluate the possible effects of commercial formulations of Bt products, Dipel and Xentari, on the survival and behavior of Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera). Bioassays were performed on foragers and newly emerged (24-h-old) bees that received the products mixed in the food. Their survival and behavior were evaluated through the vertical displacement tests and the walk test, analyzed using software Bee-Move. Then, histological analysis of the mesenterium was performed. As control treatment was used sterile water. The honey bees’ survival was evaluated for between 1 and 144 h. No interference of B. thuringiensis, Dipel and Xentari, in the survival of Africanized honey bees were found. Only Xentari interfered with vertical displacement behavior of newly emerged (24-h-old) bees. Both the products tested were selective and safe for A. mellifera.
The adoption of cultures tolerant to synthetic auxins can increase the occurrence of drift of these herbicides, interfering in the development of naturally sensitive cultures, such as beans. The aim of this study was to evaluate the germination and initial development of bean seedlings, using sub-doses of the herbicide 2,4-D. The design of experiment I was completely randomized, with eight treatments and four replications, except for germination, with eight replications. The seeds were sowed in 100 mL of water with concentrations of 0.
The present study had the objective of evaluating the longevity of A. mellifera workers fed on a diet incorporating commercial entomopathogens, Beauveria bassiana, and Bacillus thuringiensis. It also aimed at verifying possible morphological alterations in the midgut. To this purpose, the entomopathogens used were B. bassiana (Product A) (5.0 × 1011 viable conidia.kg-1), B. thuringiensis (Product B) (2.5 × 109 viable spores.g-1), and B. thuringiensis (Product C) (1.0 × 109 viable spores.g-1); and two controls: T1: sterilized distilled water, and T2: sterilized distilled water + Tween 80® (0.01%). For the bioassays, 2 mL of each treatment were incorporated into Candy paste. For each treatment, 80 bees were individually in flat bottom glass tubes (2.5 cm Ø) covered with voile, containing a piece of cotton soaked in water and Candy paste. These tubes were stored in a B.O.D (30 ± 2°C, R.H 70% ± 10%, 12 h), and mortality was evaluated every six hours, for 10 days. Soon after verifying mortality, two bees per treatment were selected for the removal of their midgut. Midgut samples were processed using standard methodology for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). It was verified that products A, B, and C reduced the longevity of bees when compared to T1 and T2 controls. In the qualitative analyses carried out using SEM, it was not possible to observe external or internal morphological alterations to midgut tissues. Although products A, B, and C cause a reduction in longevity, their presence was not verified when tissues were analyzed using SEM.
Entomopathogenic fungi and the egg parasitoid Trichogramma pretiosum Riley (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) might be used together in biological control. However, the effects of these fungi on T. pretiosum are not known. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effect of the entomopathogenic fungus Isaria fumosorosea, on the biological parameters of T. pretiosum. Two isolates of I. fumosorosea (IBCB 367 and IBCB 394) were used for this purpose. (1) In a free choice test: cards (1.0 × 5.0 cm) with non-parasitized eggs of Anagasta kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) were either sprayed with 0.2 mL of the fungus suspension (1.0 × 10 9 conidia.mL-1) or with sterile distilled water containing Tween ® 80 (0.01%), which were then offered to females of T. pretiosum. (2) No choice test: the isolates were sprayed at a concentration of 1.0 × 10 9 conidia.mL-1 on cards (1.0 × 5.0 cm) with A. kuehniella eggs. The control consisted of spraying sterile distilled water containing Tween ® 80 (0.01%). Individual females of T. pretiosum were confi ned for 24 h with the cards. The number of eggs parasitized, percentage of emergence, longevity, duration of the egg-adult period and sex ratio were evaluated, as well as the longevity of the females that parasitized the eggs and the mortality of the emerging adults evaluated. IBCB 367 isolate repelled T. pretiosum. The pre-parasitism and post-parasitism sprays did not affect the number of eggs parasitized or the sex ratio, however, the pre-parasitism IBCB 394 treatment the females and males survived for longer, whereas the survival of females in post-parasitism treatment with the same isolate was reduced. The presence of conidia on and mycelium of the fungus in T. pretiosum was confi rmed using Scanning Electron Microscopy and a histological analysis. Isolates IBCB 367 and IBCB 394 from I. fumosorosea are selective to T. pretiosum in the laboratory.
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