Insects in Agriculture and Medicine pt. 1

600

There are over _____ species of insects that are considered crop pests throughout the world

5-10%

Insect pest control may account for ______ of a farmer’s costs (but this is highly variable by crop, region, and type of farm)

yield

The threat an insect poses to a crop depends on how much it impacts ______

attractiveness

Insect herbivores can cause damage to plants that may:

• Kill the plant

• Reduce growth or health

• Alter fruit development or ________

Corn Earworms

Some of the major crop pests in the US-

Order: Lepidoptera

Crops: corn and many others

Damages crop by feeding on fruits and seeds

Costs the US up to $1 billion annually in yield loss and control expenses

Fall armyworm

Some of the major crop pests in the US-

Order: Lepidoptera

Crops: corn, hay and other grains/grasses

Damage crops by feeding on foliage, as well as seeds, and burrowing into the stalk

Can cause a loss of more than 1/3 of corn yield annually

Aphids (many species)

Some of the major crop pests in the US-

Order: Hemiptera

Crops: Many, including grains, fruits, vegetables

Damaged crops by feeding on sap and transmitting plant viruses

The Spotted Lanternfly

Some of the major crop pests in the US-

Becoming a bigger threat: ________

Order: Hemiptera

Crops: Many (ex: grape, apple, cherry, plum, peach)

Damages crop by feeding and secreting honeydew

The potential damage just in Pennsylvania is estimated at $324 million and 2800 jobs annually if it is not contained

sugary honeydew

Not only does the SLF weaken the plant by feeding on it, it also secretes _______, which causes growth of sooty mold

pesticides

Our main defense of our food supply is ________

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Incorporates evaluation of pest levels and knowledge about pest life cycles to develop practical and efficient use of pesticides

insect’s life cycle

Using IPM, growers:

• Only treat field when pests reach a certain threshold

• Time treatment based on the _________

• Incorporate other pest management practices to keep populations in check

Cultural Control

_______- crop management practices that make a field less suitable for crop pests

natural enemies

Cultural Control:

May include:

• Crop rotation or integrating several crops

• Removing contaminated plant material

• Creating habitat for ______

Mechanical Control

________- physical ways of removing or killing pests

Heat treatments

Mechanical Control:

May include:

• Traps

• ________

• Spraying with water

Biological Control

_________- controlling pests with natural enemies (predators, parasites, or parasitoids)

• One way insects provide a major benefit to agriculture!

Parasitoids

_______- insects who lay their eggs in or on another insect (most are wasps)

Parasitoids

_______ are usually highly specific to their host and can be very effective in controlling them.

control pests

Beneficial Insects in Agriculture:

Natural enemies help ______

Pollinators

Beneficial Insects in Agriculture:

______ increase yield and seed production

Decomposers

Beneficial Insects in Agriculture:

________ and burrowers provide nutrition and soil aeration

Ecosystem Services

Benefits living organisms provide us are called _______

fruits or seeds

Without pollination, flowers will not produce _______

Over 85% of flowering plants require animal pollination

monoculture (single crop)

Many bee species are in decline, and large ________ farms provide very little resources to support natural bee populations

Bumble bees

________ are more effective at pollinating certain crops, like tomatoes

They can’t be kept as densely and are more difficult to maintain, but are used in many different crops where they pollinate more effectively than honey bees

Mason bees

_______ are solitary bees that are used in crops like alfalfa and fruit trees

They don’t live in a colony and instead each female builds a nest in a narrow cavity

fleas

The Black plaque was caused not by rats, but by ______ that vector the bacterium that causes Bubonic Plague

stable flies

During the signing of the Declaration of Independence, ________ from the barn next door were biting the signers so much they rushed to complete the document- it may have been very different otherwise

Malaria

Historians believe a major outbreak of _______ contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire

Medical Entomology

______ is the study of insects and other arthropods that impact human health.

disease transmission

One of the greatest ways arthropods impact human health is through ________

Vector borne disease

___________- results from the transmission of an infectious pathogen to humans by a vector (usually an arthropod)

Vector

_______- an animal that transmits a pathogen

Arbovirus

_______- a virus that is vectored by an arthropod