Honey bee plays an important role in pollinating plants. Recently, however, declines in honey bee populations have been reported in many countries, and pesticides have been pointed out as one of the factors contributing to honey bee loss. To determine the effects of pesticides on honey bee behavior, we investigated the homing ability of honey bee exposed to four pesticides (acetamiprid, imidacloprid, fenitrothion, and carbaryl). In addition, the changes in expression levels of genes associated with ‘learning and memory’ (cGMP-dependent protein kinase foraging, Kruppel homolog 1, Adenlyate cyclase 3, Early growth response protein 1, Hormone receptor 38) were examined after pesticide treatment in forager bee. The four pesticides tested in this study generally reduced the homing ability of foragers. In the examination of gene expression, learning and memory-related genes were induced by the exposure to acetamiprid, imidacloprid, and carbaryl, whereas fenitrothion decreased the expression of these genes in honey bee. Although further studies are needed, this suggests that pesticides may have negative effects on honey bee behavior and behavior-related gene expression.

Scabies, caused by an infestation of the skin with the itch mite (Sarcoptes scabiei), is highly contagious and classified as a prevalent neglected tropical diseases. The current diagnostic approach relies solely on clinical judgment based on symptoms, history, and microscopic observation by an experienced dermatologist. To enhance sensitivity and specificity, we developed an alternative method based on mite-derived DNA. Our method involves a quick DNA release from skin scraping samples and Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) targeting the scabies mite-specific DNA sequences, enabling diagnosis within 30 minutes. Importantly, no cross-reactivity was observed when the sample was contaminated by two house dust mite species, and false positives were barely detected. Currently, we are in the process of developing a Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) kit for a scabies survey targeting school-age children in Timor-Leste as a global health project.

천궁(Cnidium officinale Makino, COM)은 산형과(Umbelliferae)에 속하는 산림약용자원 중 하나로 뿌리나 지하 부를 건조한 후 약용으로 사용하는 여러해살이 산림약초 중 하나이다. 천궁(COM)은 고혈압, 진통 및 진정 등에 효과가 있다고 알려져 있어, 산림약용자원으로서 재배되는 품목 중 하나이지만 해충의 피해가 심각하여 방제에 어려움이 많이 있다. 천궁은 뿌리가 약재로 사용되지만 종근에 피해를 가하는 응애류 및 파리류 해충은 지하부에 활동하는 생태특성을 가지고 있어 피해초기에 발견하기 어려울 뿐만 아니라 방제가 어려운 실정이다. 천궁 (COM)은 연작이 되지 않은 작물 중에 하나이므로 재배포장을 매년 바꿔가면서 재배되고 있는 실정이다. 수확시 기는 가을이므로 재배하는 동안에는 정확한 병해충조사가 쉽지 않을 뿐만 아니라 정확한 발생시기 및 피해정도 를 확인하는 것이 어려운 실정이다. 본 연구의 목적은 천궁의 해충 및 천적곤충에 대해 조사하여 천궁의 해충종류 및 발생에 대해 이해하고 이를 기반으로 친환경 방제를 위한 천적류의 정보수집 및 분석 등을 위한 기초자료로 제공하고자 한다.

Entomopathogenic fungi serve as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides. In this study, we investigate the interactions between mosquitoes and Metarhizium anisopliae JEF-157, which showed high insecticidal activity against mosquitoes, by RNA-seq analysis. RNA from mosquitoes was extracted at the median lethal time to identify changes in gene expression. The results showed 580 genes were up-regulated, while 336 genes were down-regulated in fungal treated mosquitoes. Up-regulated genes were related to metabolic and cellular processes such as cytochrome P450, DNA replication, and apoptosis. Down-regulated genes were involved in metabolism pathways such as lysosome, starch and sucrose metabolism, and fatty acid biosynthesis. These results are crucial for elucidating the mechanisms of fungal invasion and interaction in insects, providing insights for future pest management strategies.

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, is one of the economically important agricultural pests globally, as it attacks a wide range of vegetable and horticultural crops. In this study, we evaluated spatial repellent and oviposition deterrent activities of T.urticae in response to fifteen compounds derived from ester-containing natural products. To evaluate the tests, we used bridge two-choice test and host two-choice test in laboratory conditions. Among the eight compounds showed spatial repellent and oviposition deterrent activities against T. urticae at the 20 mg dose and some compounds had the activities at lower dose. We also conducted two-choice test with a blend and single compounds to determine which showed stronger spatial repellent and oviposition deterrent activities. In host two-choice test, we evaluate repellence between distance of compounds. This study concluded that series compounds from ester-containing natural products have the potential to be used managing T. urticae in the field.

Entomopathogenic fungi have been studied to control insect pests as an alternative to chemical insecticides. However, all fungi haven't a high virulence against pests. In this study, we compared the biological characteristics of Metarhizium anisopliae strains. First, we selected four M. anisopliae strains and compared the thermotolerance, conidial productivity, and virulence. For the thermotolerance test, conidial suspensions were exposed to 0, 30, 60, and 90 min at 45 °C. As a result, the conidial germination rates were over 95% when exposed for 0 min but, were 64, 37.7, 6, and 3% when exposed for 30 min at 45°C, respectively. To compare conidial productivity, 200g of millet were used and inoculated with a conidial suspension of 1 ml (1×107 conidia/ml). Conidial productivity was investigated after 14 days. As a result of conducting a virulence test against mealworms using a spray method, differences in virulence between strains were confirmed.

Aphids are well-known insect pests that, due to their feeding habits, affect various crops' productivity and marketability. Additionally, they cause significant damage worldwide as vectors of viruses. Chemical pesticides are widely used to control these agricultural pests. However, due to resistance to various chemical pesticides, pest control is becoming difficult in agricultural environments. Entomopathogenic fungi such as the genus Metarhizium and Beauveria are being extensively researched as alternatives to these chemical pesticides. In this study, the mycological properties of isolated from soil Metarhizium pemphigi IPBL-H and the insecticidal activity of this strain against Myzus persicae and Aphis gossypii were evaluated for potential of development as a biopesticide.

Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a serious pest of stored products. We assessed the efficacy of combined application of Beauveria bassiana AAD16 and azadirachtin against P. interpunctella under laboratory conditions by using filter paper dipping method. P. interpunctella larvae showed lowest LT50 in combined application of AAD16 and azadirachtin compared to the application of only azadirachtin. The mycosis rate of P. interpunctella larvae was 100% after 14 days of the combined application while AAD16 only application showed 93%. These findings suggest that B. bassiana AAD16 and azadirachtin combined solution can be an effective controlling technique against P. interpunctella larvae.

본 조사는 2023년 국가생물다양성 기관연합 공동조사의 일환으로 제주도 곶자왈도립공원 및 선흘곶 동백동 산 일대의 곤충류 분포현황을 파악하고, 자연자원의 발굴 및 관리에 대한 기초자료를 확보하고자 수행되었다. 곤충류 현지조사는 주요 곤충류가 출현하는 시기인 2023년 5월 22~26일 및 8월 28일~9월 1일 총 2회에 걸쳐 채집 조사가 수행되었다. 조사방법으로는 조사지 주변에 깔때기 트랩을 설치하여 조사 마지막날 수거하였으며, 주간 에는 포충망을 이용하여 채어잡기, 쓸어잡기, 털어잡기, 직접찾기 및 사진촬영 등을 수행하였다. 야간에는 조사 시 식생이 양호한 지역을 선정하여 일몰 전에 유아등을 설치한 후 자정 이전까지 야간조사도 병행하였다. 현지조 사를 통하여 채집된 곤충은 연구실로 가져온 후 건조표본 및 액침표본으로 제작되었으며, 각 분류군별 도감을 참고하여 종 수준까지 분류 및 동정 작업을 수행하였다. 조사결과 총 10목 69과 264종의 곤충류가 조사되어 비교 적 다양한 분류군이 출현하는 것으로 확인되었다. 또한 금번조사 결과 멸종위기야생생물 Ⅱ급에 해당되는 애기 뿔소똥구리 1종이 확인되었으며, 국외반출 승인대상종 46종, 유용곤충 17종, 분포특이종 12종, 해충 9종, 고유종 5종 등을 포함하여 총 70종의 특정종이 확인되었다.

최근 국제적인 기후변화로 인해 다양한 산림해충들이 새로운 국가 또는 인접한 지역으로의 분포 확대가 증가 하고 있는 추세이다. 국내외의 대표적인 산림해충 분류군인 나무좀아과와 하늘소과에는 넓은 기주식물 범위를 가지고 있어 산림 생태계에 직간접적으로 피해를 야기하는 종들이 다수 포함되어 있다. 본 연구에서는 2023년 5월부터 10월까지 남북 접경지(강원 철원군, 양구군, 고성군) 내 혼합림에서 린드그렌 퍼넬 트랩(Lindgren funnel trap)을 활용하여 4가지 유인제(Ipsenol, Ipsedienol, Alpha-pinene, Monochamol) 조건별 나무좀류와 하늘소류의 유인효과와 시기별 발생 양상을 조사하였다. 연구 결과, 나무좀아과는 총 26속 45종 7,743개체, 하늘소과는 총 35속 42종 649개체를 확인하였다. 본 발표에서는 남북 접경지에서의 시기별, 지역별 나무좀류와 하늘소류 발생 양상과 4가지 유인제별 효과에 대한 결과를 보고한다.

The Euonymus defoliator moth, Pryeria sinica Moore (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae), is a pest that causes considerable damage to the Euonymus genus, especially Euonymus alatus and Euonymus japonicus. The biological characteristics of P. sinica have been studied in China, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States, but there has been no research conducted on this species in Korea. Also, P. sinica has two dormant phases in each generation, one as eggs in winter and the other as pupae in summer. Our purposes are to study the biological characteristics of Korean populations of P. sinica and to examine the effects of temperature and photoperiod on summer diapause. The biological characteristics were investigated in laboratory conditions (25 ± 1 ℃, 65 ± 1% R.H., 16L:8D) and the number of eggs in an egg mass, developmental periods and mortality rate in each larvae stage, and adults’ life span were determined. The results showed that 190.7 ± 31.64 eggs were contained in one egg mass and it took 25.57 ± 0.61 days from 1st larval stage to the pre-pupal stage. P. sinica has 4 larval stages and each stage took 4.28 ± 0.21, 6.2 ± 0.55, 6.02 ± 0.68, and 8.93 ± 0.88 days. The mortality rate of larvae peaked at 22.5% in 3rd larval stage. The adults’ life span was 4.67 ± 0.97 days in males and 4.61 ± 1.82 days in females. To study summer diapause, we divided pupae into 4 groups. Both low temperature and short daytime were effective in shortening the pupal stage. The pupal stage was the shortest in group D (122.12 ± 1.24 days), in which the initial condition was 25 ℃-16L:8D and the altered condition was 16 ℃ -12L:12D, and the longest in group A (161.92 ± 3.15 days, 25 ℃-16L:8D). These data could be utilized to propose the optimal timing for controlling the population of P. sinica.

본 연구는 검거세미밤나방(Agrotis ipsilon) 성페로몬 트랩에 혼재하여 유살되는 은무늬밤나방아과 형태적 분류와 동정법 수립을 위해, 날개 무늬의 형태계측학 분석을 실시하였다. 은무늬밤나방아과 개체는 2023년 11월 부터 12월까지 제주도 애월읍 일대에서 채집되었으며, 콩 해충으로 알려진 콩은무늬밤나방(Ctenoplusia agnata) 을 비롯하여, 다양한 농작물을 가해하는 것으로 알려진 붉은금무늬밤나방(Chrysodeixis eriosoma)의 수컷 성충이 포획되었다. 앞날개의 형태 및 무늬를 가지고 현장에서 쉽게 동정할 수 있는 형태적 특징을 도출하기 위하여, 각 성충 개체의 앞날개를 잘라 현미경 카메라로 촬영하고, 앞날개의 내횡선, 아외연선, 반점 크기 등 15개의 형질 을 측정하였다. 또한 각 형질 간의 상관관계를 분석하였으며 빈도분포를 통하여 두 종간 분리되는 형질을 파악하 였다. 최종적으로 다변량 분석법을 적용하여 두 집단이 어떻게 군집을 이루는지 분석하고, 날개형태만으로 붉은 금무늬밤나방과 콩은무늬밤나방을 구분할 수 있는 방안을 제시하였다.

Western drywood termite, Incisitermes minor, is distributed southwestern USA and northern Mexico. Invasions had been reported to Canada, China, Hawaii and Japan. Incisitermes minor may be introduced through wooden structures. In California and Arizona, it caused economic damage of about $250 million. In September 2023, it was discovered in a house in Changwon-city, Korea and a joint investigation was conducted by APQA and other government agencies. The 16S rRNA sequence was used in the molecular epidemiological investigation to trace the origin of the invasion. Five individuals found in Changwon and 18 foreign sequences collected by NCBI were compared. A total of 462bp of base sequences were compared, and the genetic distance was observed to range from a minimum of 0.000 to a maximum of 0.1791. They were most genetically similar to the California individual in the United States.

Drywood termite (Cryptotermes domesticus), native to South East Asia, is distributed in India, China, Taiwan, Australia and so on. In China, it is considered an economically important pest causing damage to wood. It lives in dry wood environments such as furniture, buildings, and structural timber. It is difficult to find drywood termite within a structure but it can be detected by the presence of alate flight and small egg-like pellets of excreta. It was found in a house in Seoul, Korea in July 2023 and was investigated joint by APQA, National Institute of Ecology, National Institute Biological Resources, National Institute of Forest Science, Cultural Heritage Administration and Gyeongsang National University. The COII barcode region was analized with PCR method and compared with the sequences of all C. domesticus registered in NCBI 557bp of base sequence. Genetic difference ranged from a minimum of 0.0072 to a maximum of 0.0557. Among these, the individual with the minimum genetic distance was from Guangdong Province, China.

The subgenus Oropeza Needham, 1908 (Diptera: Tipulidae: Dolichopeza) comprises 27 described species distributed across the Holarctic region. Certain Oropeza species have been reported in neighboring countries of the Korean Peninsula―6 species in Japan, 3 species in China, and 4 species in Russia. Some researchers, such as Byers (1961) and Savchenko (1983), suggested that the distribution of Oropeza cover the East-Palearctic regions, including the entirety of the Korean Peninsula. However, previous records of Oropeza from the Korean Peninsula have not been accepted because of the lack of comprehensive species-level investigations in this region. In this study, we present a new record of the species Dolichopeza (Oropeza) satsuma (Alexander, 1918) in South Korea, with redescription and photographs: general habitus, wing veins, and male genitalia. This finding marks the rediscovery of the subgenus Oropeza in the Korean Peninsula.

The family Gelechiidae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea) is known as one of the largest families in Microlepidoptera, encompassing about 600 genera and more than 5,000 described species worldwide. However, the genus Altenia Sattler, 1960 has been poorly studied in Korea, with only one known species. Here we introduce a new species, Altenia parascriptella sp. nov., from Korea, providing photos of adults and genitalia for both sexes, along with diagnostic characteristics.

The genus Acronicta Ochsenheimer, 1816 is known as a forest pest. The acronictine species is widely distributed across the Afrotropical, Oriental, Australian, and Neartic regions. This study presents a new record of an acronictine species from Korea, including descriptions, illustrations, and diagnostic characteristics. Additionally, the CO1 barcode data of the newly recorded species is compared with the global barcode reference at the species level. New data on the recently recorded species has been obtained from this study. This information will aid in the prompt identification and preparation for potential pest outbreaks.

The genus Paragabara is recognized as a member of the subfamily Boletobiinae, with six species in the Eastern Palaearctic. In Korea, three species of this genus are known. Konoenko et al. (2010) designated a lectotype for P. flavomacula (Oberthür, 1880) and described a new species, P. curvicornuta. In this study, the misidentification of the Korean P. flavomacula as P. curvicornuta has been corrected. Additionally, one newly recorded species, P. curvicornuta, is reported from Korea. In total, four Paragabara species are recognized in Korea. All available information, images of adults, a checklist, and male and female genitalia, etc., are provided.

Flower chafers (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) are globally distributed, comprising approximately 4,000 described species. They primarily feed on nectar and sap of deciduous trees. The larvae exhibit the unique characteristic of crawling on their backs, distinguishing them from other scarabs. Additionally, the majority of flower chafers fly with their elytra closed, unlike other scarabs that fly with fully opened wings. Šípek et al. (2016) conducted the first molecular phylogenetic study to investigate their phylogenetic relationships and characters of elytra related to the flight mode. Building upon this study, we infer the diversification times and rates of Cetoniinae and its subgroups, and reconstruct the evolutionary process of flight mode transformation. Furthermore, we discuss the current limitations and future directions of this topic.