Minute pirate bug, Orius minutus (L.), is a native predator of many small insects such as aphid, scale, thrips, and mites in Korea. Seven chemical pesticides with lower ecotoxicity being used to control those pests were evaluated for acute toxicity against adult female O. minutus in glass scintillation vial assay. In the 1st batch experiment with three pesticides, flonicamid and buprofezin were least toxic whereas in the 2nd batch experiment with four pesticides spirotetramat and spiromesifen showed least toxicity. The corrected mortality of buprofezin and flonicamid became 100% on 55 and 47 h of exposure in 1st batch and that of spirotetramat and spiromesifen became 100% on 75 and 71 h of exposure in 2nd batch, respectively. In conclusion, flonicamid, buprofezin, spirotetramat, and spiromesifen was least toxic among the seven pesticides tested against adult female of O. minutus.

Trialeurodes vaporariorum is an important greenhouse pest worldwide. We compared the efficacy of a new strain of Beauveria bassiana (ARP14) with a commercialized one (GHA) against 2nd instar and 4th instar of T. vaporarioum. Those nymphs were exposed to the fungus in a concentration of 1×108 conidia/mL by leaf dipping method. There was no difference in mycosis rates at any observation time between the two strains in both 2nd (100.0%) and 4th instar (100.0%). Lethal median time (LT50) wasn't different between the two strains in both 2nd and 4th instar. In conclusion, the new B. bassiana strain (ARP14) would be a good candidate of mycoinsecticide for whitefly management.

Grapholita molesta (Busck) is a major pest of stone fruits. Immature fruits of apricot and plum are well known food source during early summer for G. molesta, but those immature fruits have rarely been evaluated. Thus, we assessed biological and behavioral attributes of G. molesta when provided with immature fruits of apricot and plum in laboratory. The initial response rate (when larva reached to the center from release point in Y-tube olfactometer) of first instar was not different between apricot (70.0%) and plum (60.0%) of which sugar content was more on plum (5.92 brix in apricot and 7.30 brix in plum). However, pupal weight was less in apricot (7.5 mg) than in plum (11.4 mg), and this might be affected by difference in hardness of the fruits (17.2 N on apricot and 13.3 N on plum). The preoviposition period was also longer in apricot (6.3 d) than plum (3.6 d), and fecundity was lower on apricot (64.5) than on plum (135.0). Therefore immature plum fruit would be better food source for G. molesta than apricot during early summer.

Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is an important polyphagous pest and transmits plant pathogenic virus to numerous agriculture crops. We compared the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana ARP14 strain with commercialized GHA strain against 2nd instar and 4th instar of B. tabaci. The nymphs were exposed in 1×108 conidia/mL by dipping method. There was no difference in mycosis rate between the two strains in both 2nd and 4th instar. After 72 h, mycosis rate of 2nd instar was 100.0% in B. bassiana ARP14 strain followed by 97.4% in B. bassiana GHA strain. In 4th instar, B. bassiana ARP14 strain caused 100.0% while B. bassiana GHA strain caused 93.3%.

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is one of the most destructive pest of thin-skinned fruits such as blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. We tested effect of fruit damage on the infestation of D. suzukii by using partially peeled blueberry fruits in assays of behavioral choice and development. In choice test, D. suzukii preferred partially peeled blueberry fruit than normal. But in development test, we did not found difference in adult emergence rate between normal and partially peeled blueberry fruit.