DAILY ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF ADULT CREONTIADES DILUTUS (STÅL) AND CAMPYLOMMA LIEBKNECHTI (GIRAULT) (HEMIPTERA: MIRIDAE) IN EARLY‐FLOWERING COTTON

Abstract

Daily activity patterns were obtained for the mirids Creontiades dilutus and Carnpylornrna liebknechti sampled from flowering cotton in the Lockyer Valley of southeastern Queensland. Two activity peaks occurred for both species, one during mid-morning and a second in the late-afternoon, the latter being the time of greatest activity. The commercial implications of this pattern are discussed.The green mirid Creontiades dilutus (Stal) and the apple dimpling bug Campylomrna liebknechti (Girault) are important secondary pests of Australian cotton (Bishop 1980; Malipatil 1992). Adults and nymphs can attack the plant throughout its growth, causing reduced yield, and delaying crop maturity (Adams et al. 1984). The adults of both species are active flyers, making detection difficult and the need for accurate sampling methods crucial. Sampling of commercial cotton crops is carried out every 3-4 d, and consists of visual checks of a number of cotton plants to gain an estimate of insect numbers (Shaw 1990).

Integrated pest management of plant sucking bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) in Australian cotton: back to the future

“…An important temporal aspect of mirid sampling was highlighted by Bodnaruk (1992). His study on the daily activity patterns of adult C. dilutes (green mirid) and Campylomma liebknechti (yellow mirid a.k.a.…”

Review of the biology and control of Creontiades dilutus (Stål) (Hemiptera: Miridae)

“…Determining the level of plant damage caused by a given number of a particular insect pest is critical prior to implementing a control strategy. For C. dilutus , obtaining accurate population estimates is difficult as both adults and nymphs have a tendency to run or fly off quickly when disturbed (Bodnaruk 1992). Khan (1999) also noted that adults generally occur on the outsides of cotton terminals and squares, whereas nymphs are generally found inside these structures, which may have important implications for sampling and population estimates.…”

“…Creontiades dilutus populations vary both spatially and temporally in their distribution within cotton crops. Bodnaruk (1992) found significant differences in the numbers of mirids captured by sweep netting at different times throughout the day, and concluded that this species exhibits daily activity peaks during the mid–late morning and late afternoon. Similar behavioural patterns have been shown for Lygus spp.…”

Feeding ecology of green mirids: polyphagy and spatio-temporal dynamics across arid and agricultural environments

“…The overall densities of host plants are low across arid environments, but these regions also include isolated patches of Cullen australasicum and C. cinereum (Fabaceae), which grow in clay drainages and host relatively high numbers of C. dilutus bugs, and these species have been suggested to be among their primary host plants (Hereward and Walter 2012). Bug densities on Cullen hosts in arid environments are often greater (per sampling unit) than densities on cotton in agricultural regions (Bodnaruk 1992, Miles 1995, Mensah and Khan 1997, Khan 1999, Hereward and Walter 2012, Hereward et al 2013a.…”

“…First, mirids can be difficult to detect in cotton because adults are cryptic, extremely flighty, highly mobile, and are patchily distributed across agricultural landscapes (Bodnaruk 1992).…”