Flight Performance of the Soybean Aphid,Aphis glycines(Hemiptera: Aphididae) Under Different Temperature and Humidity Regimens

Abstract

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines (Matsumura), is native to eastern Asia and has recently invaded North America, where it is currently the most important insect pest of soybeans. The soybean aphid has spread rapidly within North America, presumably through a combination of active and passive (wind-aided) flight. Here, we studied the active flight potential of A. glycines under a range of environmental conditions using an aphid flight mill. Winged (alate) A. glycines were tested on a specially designed 32-channel, computer-monitored flight mill system. Aphids that were 12-24 h old exhibited the strongest flight behavior, with average flight durations of 3.3-4.1 h, which represented flight distances of 4.6-5.1 km. After the age of 72 h, A. glycines flight performance rapidly declined. The optimum temperature range for flight was 16-28 degrees C, whereas optimum relative humidity was 75%. Our findings show that A. glycines posseses a fairly strong active flight aptitude (ability and inclination) and point to the possibility of flight initiation under a broad range of environmental conditions. These results have the potential to aid forecasting and management protocols for A. glycines at the landscape level.

Development and Parasitism byAphelinus certus(Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a Parasitoid ofAphis glycines(Hemiptera: Aphididae)

“…Some aphid parasitoids have the capacity to be transported long distances as an egg or larva within an alate host during aphid dispersal events (Feng et al 2007, Huang et al 2008. Considering soybean aphids are strong ßiers (Zhang et al 2008), it is possible that A. certus was distributed in this way. To conÞrm this suggestion, the parasitism status of migratory aphids should be assessed.…”

Flight potential of Microplitis mediator, a parasitoid of various lepidopteran pests

“…Previous studies have mainly focused on key pests, for example Sitobion avenae (Fabricius), Liriomyza sativae (Blanchard), Aphis glycines (Matsumura), and Adelphocoris spp. (Cheng et al 2002;Lei et al 2002;Zhang et al 2008;Lu et al in press). This study, however, was the first to quantify flight performance of a natural enemy by use of a computer-monitored flight mill.…”

“…This apparatus was shown to enable efficient determination of flight aptitude of various insects, for example aphids or plant bugs (Lu et al in press;Zhang et al 2008). The flight mill arm is composed of two 5.3-cm copper threads (0.2 mm) to which study insects are attached horizontally, so as to not interfere with flight.…”

European buckthorn and Asian soybean aphid as components of an extensive invasional meltdown in North America

“…The relationship between soybean aphid and R. cathartica may be more obligate than this in the North-Central US but eradication may still be needed on a regional scale given the mobility of the aphid (Zhang et al 2008;Michel et al 2009). Buckthorn removal is a difficult undertaking and has not been achieved on a large scale in North America.…”