Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) continue to increase as serious pests in the built environment. These insects are particularly problematic in low-income multiunit housing buildings, where infestations are difficult to control, tend to become chronic, and the locations serve as reservoirs from which bed bugs disperse. This document reviews and reports on published accounts and validations of various methods to detect and manage bed bugs in these urban settings. The analysis demonstrates that programs using IPM approaches for bed bug management can lead to significant reductions in bed bug incidence and density when compared with insecticide-reliant approaches. However, total elimination of bed bugs in multiunit environments remains a challenge and is often reported as unattainable, raising concerns about the effectiveness of strategies for bed bug management used in these environments. Several factors may contribute to the persistence of bed bugs in low-income, multiunit housing situations, including lack of awareness and education of residents and staff about bed bugs, overall building infestation levels, resident lifestyles, reluctance to report infestations, resident abilities to undertake unit preparation required by some pest management companies, and low efficacy of insecticide treatments. Although community-wide and proactive bed bug management programs are shown to be more effective, sustainable, and economically viable in the long term than reactive and insecticide-only programs, general adoption of best practices may be impeded by budget limitations and interest of affordable multiunit housing providers. Los chinches de cama (Cimex lectularius) es una plaga que se sigue expandiendo en ambientes urbanos. Estos insectos representan un serio problema en edificaciones multi-residenciales de familias de bajos nivel de ingresos económicos, donde las infestaciones son difíciles de controlar, tienden a volverse crónicas y sirven de reservorios desde donde los chinches se dispersan. Este documento revisa y reporta información publicada de la validación de varios métodos para para detectar y manejar los chinches de cama en estos ambientes urbanos. El análisis mostró que los programas que usan abordajes de Manejo Integrado de Plagas (MIPs) para el control de los chinches de cama pueden reducir de manera significativa la incidencia y densidad de estos insectos, si se compara con los programas donde se utilizan solamente insecticidas. Sin embargo, la erradicación de los chinches de cama en estos ambientes sigue siendo un reto y muchas veces difícil de alcanzar, lo que genera dudas acerca de la eficacia de estos programas para el chinche de cama usados en estos ambientes. Varios factores podrían contribuir a la persistencia de chinches de cama en estas edificaciones, los cuales incluye la escasez de concientización y educación de residentes y personal administrativo acerca del insecto, los altos niveles de infestación de chinches en las edificaciones, los hábitos de vida de los residentes, renuencia a reportar infestaciones, incapacidad para llevar a cabo la preparación de la vivienda exigida por las compañías de manejo de plagas, y baja eficacia de los tratamientos con insecticidas. Aunque los programas de manejo comunitario y proactivo de los chinches de cama son más efectivos, sostenible y económicamente viable a largo plazo, si se compara con los programas reactivos que solo aplican insecticidas, la adopción general de estas prácticas podría dificultarse debido a limitaciones presupuestales y la falta de interés que tienen las empresas proveedoras de vivienda subsidiadas en edificaciones multi-residenciales de bajos recursos.

Termites are economically-important structural pests, costing residents of Hawaii over $100 million annually. On Oahu, the last published termite swarming survey occurred from 1969 to 1971, and the last termite hand-collection survey occurred from 1998 to 2000. To contribute data on termite occurrences on Oahu, a light-trap survey took place from February 2011 to September 2012, and a hand-collection survey occurred from September to November 2012. Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, swarming was compared over the duration of the study, finding peak swarming in May 2011. C. formosanus alate activity density was regressed with environmental factors, finding a negative correlation with average wind speed and a positive correlation with average rainfall. Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) alates were observed in April, June, and July 2011 and in June 2012. Four species of termites were found in the hand-collection survey of 44 sites: Incisitermes immigrans (Snyder) (n = 8/44), C. formosanus (n = 2/44), Cryptotermes cynocephalus Light (n = 1/44), and Neotermes sp. (n = 1/44). This study contributes to distribution data for termite species on Oahu and records alate activity for two important termite pests.

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is an invasive pest of agricultural crops including sweet corn and maize. The moth was first recorded in Australia in January 2020 and is now considered established in most states and territories, and research is underway to develop management strategies. Extensive rearing of S. frugiperda larvae and eggs occurred from March 2020 to April 2023 to understand the parasitoid complex present in Australia and identify potential biological control agents. We report here on the hymenopteran parasitoids reared during this period, which were identified using a combination of morphology and COI DNA barcoding, and provide images, a key to species, and contextual information to facilitate future research. Twelve species of parasitoids from five families of Hymenoptera are formally reported as parasitising S. frugiperda in Australia. Five species are here described as new: Chelonus patbat Fagan‐Jeffries, sp. nov. (Braconidae), Chelonus trojanus Fagan‐Jeffries, sp. nov. (Braconidae), Coccygidium mellosiheroine Atkin‐Zaldivar & Fagan‐Jeffries, sp. nov. (Braconidae), Coccygidium necatrix Atkin‐Zaldivar & Fagan‐Jeffries, sp. nov. (Braconidae), and Euplectrus frugiperdata Fagan‐Jeffries, sp. nov. (Eulophidae).

The coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), Oryctes rhinoceros (L.) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), has become one of the most important coconut and oil palm pests. This species was detected attacking coconut palms on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi in December 2013, and an eradication program was initiated. One of the major challenges for eradication has been the identification of new breeding sites. Information on the factors influencing oviposition is needed to aid in finding sites likely to host the immature stages of this insect. In this study, a series of choice tests were conducted to assess the oviposition preferences of both laboratory-reared and wild-caught CRB. Mated females, of both lab-reared and wild-caught beetles, were offered for oviposition a choice between sand and two mulch substrates, one with small and one with large particle sizes. Both types of CRB laid eggs preferentially in substrate of small particle size rather than large and none laid eggs in sand. Lab-reared and wild-caught CRB differed in their oviposition behavior and size. These results can be used to aid in the identification of breeding sites for management programs and eradication efforts.

The susceptibility to proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) can vary among lepidopteran pest species. While Bollgard 3 cotton (BG3) effectively controls the primary pest Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) in Australia, its effectiveness against other pests, such as Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) and Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), is unknown. This laboratory study assessed the survival and development of H. armigera, S. litura, and S. frugiperda larvae when fed foliage from a non-transgenic cotton variety (CC) and 3 transgenic cotton varieties: Bollgard (BG1) expressing Cry1Ac, Bollgard II (BG2) expressing Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab, and Bollgard 3 (BG3) expressing Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab, and Vip3A. Pyramided Bt cotton had greater negative effects on survival and development of all species compared with CC or BG1. The proportion of H. armigera that eclosed as adults was very low when larvae fed on BG2 or BG3 compared with BG1. Eclosion rates of S. litura and S. frugiperda on BG3 were much lower compared with BG2 and BG1. This study demonstrates that BG3 has greater efficacy against a wider lepidopteran pest complex compared with previous Bt cotton products. Despite efficacy in the laboratory, S. litura larvae are reported to be surviving in BG3 fields, suggesting other factors are influencing field efficacy. As BG3 production expands across tropical northern Australia, preserving the susceptibility of S. litura and S. frugiperda to BG3 proteins is crucial. This study identifies the need for further research on field survival and resistance management strategies for secondary pest species.