Stingless bee colony multiplication is vital for expanding agricultural pollination and sustainable honey production, yet it is often constrained by slow natural establishment after division in standard hive systems. This study evaluated the use of red earthen pots as an ideal, natural artificial hive to facilitate the successful division and management of stingless bee colonies. Three different hive types, viz., wooden square hives, red earthen pots, and wooden rectangular hives, were evaluated for the colony establishment after division. Significantly greater percentage of colony establishment was recorded in red earthen pots (62.55%) with initiation of forage activity in a lesser time period (8.80 ± 0.84 days). The study found that using localized red earthen pots will help in faster colony establishment after division and sustainable multiplication. Internal hive architecture, such as the pillars and involucrum, was recorded at a significantly shorter period after colony division in red earthen pots (6.40 ± 1.14 days). They provide a durable, porous, and well-insulated environment that mimics natural tree hollows, protecting the brood from heat and moisture and enabling faster colony establishment. Pot hives provide a sustainable alternative to wooden boxes and allow for easy inspection and harvesting for hobbyists.

A study was conducted to examine the suitability of using black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus) prepupae meal as a feed supplement in layer chicken. An experiment was conducted in layer chicken in two phases. Sixty White Leghorn layer birds of 19 weeks of age procured from commercial layer farm were fed with standard diet till 22wks of age and then shifted to experimental diet from 23 wks of age when all the birds were in peak egg production. Birds were randomly assigned to three treatment groups and each treatment group had 20 replicates (individual bird). In the first phase (23–38 wks of age), dietary treatment groups consisted of one control diet (T1) with maize-soybean meal based and another two (T2 T3) diets containing 5 and 10

Cabbage experiences substantial yield reductions due to diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) and cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) infestation. Recurrent use of insecticides has led to insecticide resistance, necessitating the development of sustainable biocontrol strategies. This study involves the morpho-molecular characterization of Beauveria bassiana isolates from diverse locations. B. bassiana NBAIR-Bb5a exhibited the rapid mycelial growth (87.43 mm) with highest conidial germination rate (94.43

Millettia pinnata, a potential biodiesel plant, bears copious pink and white flowers from February to April, and there are plenty of pollen and nectar rewards for the A. cerana indica, little bee, A. .lorea, and stingless bee, Tetragonula iridipennis, visited the fallen flowers of M. pinnata for the collection of rewards in the flowers. In the current study, A. cerana indica showed the highest frequency of foraging on fallen flowers (6.40 +/- 1.67 bees/5 minutes), followed by T. iridipennis(4.20 +/- 0.84 bees/5 minutes). The bees handled 3.01 +/- 1.00 fallen white flowers and 2.20 +/- 0.84 pink flowers in 5 minutes. The bees spent 4.40 +/- 0.55 seconds and 4.20 +/- 0.84 seconds on the fallen pink and white flowers, respectively. The study reported a unique foraging behavior of bees in the fallen flowers of M. pinnata, requiring caution in refraining from the inter-cultivation operations below the trees during the bloom period to enable floral rewards to the bees from the fallen flowers.

The diamondback moth (DBM) Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is a major pest of cruciferous crops cause severe economic losses worldwide. Continued dependence on chemical insecticides has led to development of resistance, negative impact on non-targets as well as environmental pollution. These problems prompt a shift towards behaviour-based pest management strategies. This study evaluated the electrophysiological and behavioural responses of P. xylostella to synthetic sex pheromone blends of Z-11-hexadecenyl acetate and Z-11-hexadecenal formulated in different ratios and loaded onto rubber septa. The PH blend (49.5:49.5:1) elicited the highest antennal response (~3.3 mV) and attracted the most moths in behavioural assays, followed by the (10:10:0.1) (~2.6 mV) and (7:3:1) (~1.9 mV) blends. Field trapping trials confirmed that the PH blend captured the highest number of moths (~847.2) among all tested formulations. These findings provide insights for optimizing pheromone blends for effective mass trapping and monitoring of P. xylostella, supporting sustainable and eco-friendly integrated pest management strategies.

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), is a serious pest of cruciferous crops worldwide and cause serious damage, resulting in up to 90 % yield loss. Heavy dependence on synthetic insecticides has led to widespread resistance and raised environmental concerns, demanding an urgent need for safer, eco-friendly pest control options. In this study, we examined the electrophysiological, behavioural responses of P. xylostella to ten Essential Oils (EOs): Pelargonium hortorum, Ocimum basilicum, Acorus calamus, Trachyspermum ammi, Piper betle, Cymbopogon nardus, Rosmarinus officinalis, Zingiber officinale, Mentha piperita, and Eucalyptus citriodora. Electro Antennogram (EAG) analysis showed that all EOs tested elicited antennal response in adult females; however, R. officinalis, A. calamus, Z. officinale and C. nardus caused significantly higher responses than the other oils tested, and this antennal response aids in host and mate selection. In the behavioural assay using the Y-tube olfactometer revealed that A. calamus, P. betel, Z. officinale, R. officinalis and P. hortorum produced highly significant repellency (P ≤ 0.01). Oviposition assays further revealed that A. calamus, P. hortorum, and Z. officinale at 5% reduced egg laying by 91.78%, 86.9%, and 73.86%, respectively and it was 2.4 to 3.0 times more effective than neem Azadirachta indica. Overall, the results demonstrate robust olfactory and behavioural impacts of several essential oils, particularly A. calamus, Z. officinale and P. hortorum, supporting their potential as botanical repellents or oviposition deterrents for integrated pest management targeting P. xylostella.

We are reporting for the first time the nesting behaviour, nesting substrate preference, nest architecture, biology and pollen preference of a wood boring bee, Lithurgus atratus in Ipomea carnea. The bee preferred to construct her nest in the reeds of Ipomoea carnea with peak nesting activity during August (24.67 ± 4.04 nests), September (21.00 ± 7.10 nests), June (20.10 ± 6.24 nests), and July (19.67 ± 4.73 nests). A single bee constructed three cells per nesting reed that measured 2.06 ± 0.40 cm in length and 0.53 ± 0.05 cm in width. The duration of egg, larval and pupal stages of L. atratus were 2.20 ± 0.91, 13.90 ± 0.99 and 10.10 ± 1.37 days. The peak time of pollen foraging activity of L. atratus in Abelmoschus esculentus was recorded from 8 to 9 am (1.80 ± 0.45 bees/flower) to 1–2 pm (2.40 ± 0.54 bees/flower) with maximum activity of the adult bee in the nesting reeds noticed at 9–10 am (2.40 ± 0.54 nests), 10–11 am (2.80 ± 1.30 nests). The pollen grains of five host plants viz., okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), hibiscus (Hibiscus rosasinensis), elephant creeper vine (Argyreia nervosa), Indian blanket flower (Gaillardia pulchella) and hollyhock (Alcea rosea) were identified in the scopal load of foraging bees and in the brood provisions. The scopal and brood pollen analysis indicated a marked foraging preference of L. atratus towards the flowers of Malvaceae (63.4

The pearly-banded bee, Hoplonomia westwoodi (Nomiinae: Halictidae), is an efficient buzz pollinator of crops belonging to the family Solanaceae with unique ‘poricidal anthers’ in the flowers. Domiciliation of H. westwoodi for managed pollination service in protected cultivations is desirable to ensure effective pollination and quality fruit set in different crops. A study was conducted to investigate the nesting activity, soil preference and nest reuse by H. westwoodi . The nest-burrowing activity was highest in October (12.67 ± 1.15 burrowing events/month), and least in February (1.03 ± 0.11 burrowing events/month). The number of pollen flights was maximal between 10:00 and 12:00 p.m. in the active nesting period. The mean number of active turrets per nest was significantly higher in pots with plants (17.17 ± 2.63 active turrets/pot) compared to pots without any plants (8.01 ± 1.54 active turrets/pot). A significantly higher rate of acceptance (63.2%) of sandy soil for nest construction by H. westwoodi was observed, with the highest number of brood cells/turret (13.25 ± 2.22 brood cells/turret) and adult emergence (95%). The percentages of reuse of old turrets for nest construction during the years 2021 and 2022 were 8.33% and 16.67%, respectively. The mean number of cells built by H. westwoodi in the reused and fresh turrets were 5.90 ± 1.29 and 7.40 ± 0.97 cells, respectively. The mean number of adult bees that emerged from the reused and fresh turrets were 3.80 ± 1.01 bees/turret and 7.40 ± 0.97 bees/turret, respectively. Our study indicates that domiciliation of H. westwoodi in portable pots with sandy soil and plants for utilization is possible for managed pollination under protected cultivation.

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E Smith), is native to North and South America, and it was first detected in India in 2018, causing severe damage to maize. Farmers resorted to the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides. However, as maize is a food crop, the use of these chemicals is unsafe for human and animal health purposes. Therefore, considering the urgent need for alternative measures in the management of fall armyworm, ICAR-NBAIR, Bengaluru, India, evaluated a single application of fungal, bacterial, and viral-based microbial biopesticides at 10 days interval against the serious pest S. frugiperda in two agro-climatic locations. The findings from the two trials indicated that the application of microbial biopesticides, specifically Metarhizium anisopliae (ICAR-NBAIR-Ma35), Bacillus thuringiensis (NBAIR-BT25), and nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NBAIR-SfNPV), effectively reduced the larval population of S. frugiperda (15.83 to 3.33 Nos.), minimized plant damage (from 77.33 to 18.33 per cent), and enhanced plant height (135 cm) and leaf length (9.00 cm). These biopesticide treatments demonstrated comparable efficacy to emamectin benzoate in terms of biomass, yield (2672.77 kg in the insecticide plot and 2631.82 kg in the biopesticide plot), and cost-benefit ratio (1:2.04 for the biopesticide plot and 1:2.02 for the insecticide plot). Furthermore, a substantial presence of beneficial arthropods, such as spiders, was noted in both the untreated control (6.83 Nos.) and and biopesticide-treated plots (4.75 Nos.), whereas fields treated with chemical pesticides exhibited a markedly lower presence (1-1.58 Nos.) of beneficial insects. Two-way clustering and multivariate analyses of field data revealed significant differences among the untreated control, biopesticide, and emamectin benzoate treatments. The research findings showed that the use of various biological control agents reduced the costs incurred in crop protection and simultaneously provided effective, eco-friendly approaches for the management of fall armyworms in maize.

Invasive chilli thrips, Thrips parvispinus (Karny) coexists with Thrips subnudula (Karny) on chillies, Capsicum annuum L. causing damage to the flowers and leaves. Thrips rely on olfactory cues for host selection, mating and oviposition. Olfaction in thrips is mediated by a pair of antennae with sensilla distributed on its surface to perceive the olfactory stimuli. As both T. parvispinus and T. subnudula share chilli as their host, a comparative analysis was done between the two species to establish the morphology and distribution of antennal sensilla using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In both the species, nine types of sensilla: Böhm bristles (BB), sensilla basiconica (SBI, SBII, SBIII), sensilla chaetica (SChI, SChII), sensilla coeloconica (SCo), sensilla trichoidea (ST), sensilla campaniformia (SCa), sensilla cavity (SCav), sensilla mammillary (SM) and micro trichia (MT) were identified. Although the sensilla arrangement was similar in both species, T. parvispinus had longer antennae and larger sensilla especially those linked to olfactory and thermo-hygrosensory functions indicating sensory adaptations for more complex host-seeking behavior. In contrast, T. subnudula, despite sharing common host (chilli), exhibited relatively smaller and less elaborated sensilla structures, reflecting its limited ecological niche. This study will add to the information on the morphological foundation of the antennae which could be used to elucidate the olfactory mechanisms in two species of thrips mentioned above.

In agriculture crop ecosystems, pollination is the foremost fundamental activity performed by fascinating creatures like bees, butterflies, hoverflies, birds, and bats, ensuring reproductive success in angiosperms. Currently, most pollinators appear in red data books as their population and abundance deplete in the ecosystems. Threats like habitat loss, climate change, urbanization, use of chemical pesticides, pests, and diseases drove their extinction. The decline in the pollinator population may considerably decrease global food production and productivity. Effective and efficient conservation strategies are the key elements to mitigate the threats faced by pollinators in the promotion of pollinator resilience. Here, we explored various conservation strategies that restore the pollinator habitat by following sustainable agricultural practices and some policy interventions. Public awareness and collaborative efforts among governments, NGOs, and the private sector are crucial for successfully implementing and adapting these conservation strategies. By acclimatizing an integrated, collaborative, and convincing approach to pollinator conservation, we can assure and predict ecosystem sustainability and productivity, which eventually supports biodiversity and food security.

A study was conducted to investigate the development and fitness of predatory syrphid, Ischiodon scutellaris on cowpea aphid host parasitised by Lysiphlebus fabarum. Number of eggs laid by I. scutellaris in the cowpea plants infested with healthy aphids (317.16 ± 14.84 eggs) and in plants with mixed population of healthy and parasitised aphids (302.20 ± 5.49 eggs) were statistically on par with each other. The number of healthy aphids (243 ± 36.65 aphids) and mixed population of healthy and parasitised aphids (206.60 ± 37.39 aphids) consumed by I. scutellaris was statistically on par with each other. Net reproductive rate (R0) of I. scutellaris in the healthy and healthy + mummified aphid hosts were 289.90 ± 7.66 and 267.40 ± 2.74, respectively. The intrinsic rate of increase (r) of I. scutellaris on the healthy (0.15 ± 0.08) and healthy + mummified aphid hosts (0.14 ± 0.07) was significantly different from each other. The results of the study confirmed that adult flies of I. scutellaris could be maintained in the mixed population of healthy and mummified aphid host, A. craccivora without any interference in its oviposition and egg hatchability. The observations of this study are of practical significance in terms of culture maintenance of syrphid predator, I. scutellaris at times of non-availability of pure healthy aphid hosts.

The solitary wasp, Rhynchium brunneum brunneum (Fabricius), constructs nests in hollow cavities of bamboo, provisions her brood cells with caterpillars, and partitions the cells using mud. The wasp larva, upon hatching, feeds on the provisioned lepidopteran larvae and completes its development inside the cell. The fitness and development of immature stages of the wasp on the prey parasitized by Dolichogenidea sp. (Braconidae: Microgastrinae) was studied. The number of cells with parasitized prey was significantly higher during September (6.60 ± 0.11 parasitized prey/cell), October (9.20 ± 2.77 parasitized prey/cell), November (9.10 ± 2.59 parasitized prey/cell), and December (9.00 ± 2.01 parasitized prey/cell). The percentage of healthy prey per cell ranged between 53.33% to 100%, and parasitized prey per cell ranged from 0 to 25% in the sampled nests. The mortality of late instar wasp larvae (50 to 80%) was higher in the cells provisioned with the parasitized prey. The number of prey larvae provisioned per cell was significantly higher in the healthy cells (9.80 ± 0.84 prey/cell) compared to the unhealthy cells (3.60 ± 0.55 prey/cell). The prey biomass in the healthy cells (0.592 g) was significantly higher than in the unhealthy cells (0.161 g). The emergence percentage of the adults was significantly higher in the healthy nests (100%) than in unhealthy nests (38.67%). The study confirms the inability of the adult wasp to discriminate between healthy and parasitized prey. The adult wasp compensated for the fitness of her immature stages by collecting a mixture of healthy prey with parasitized prey to favor the growth and development of her broods in the nest.

Aphids are economically important sucking pests that suck the sap from different plant parts resulting in the curling of leaves, and withering of plant parts and also transmitting viral diseases. Carinostigmus costatus Krombein (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) is a solitary predatory wasp that constructs nests in the pithy stems of Caesalpinnia pulcherrima and provisions aphids as prey to her broods. In this study, aphid prey preference, prey provisioning behaviour and nesting activity of C. costatus from January to June for two years 2022 and 2023 were studied. The predatory wasp, C. costatus foraged on six host aphids viz., Aphis odinae on Anacardium occidentale (Cashew), Aphis gossypii on Hibiscus rosasinensis (China Rose), Hyadaphis coriandri on Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel), Aphis craccivora on Cajanus cajan (Pigeon pea) and Vigna unguiculata, Rhopalosiphum maidis on Zea mays (Maize) and Aphis nerii on Asclepias curassavica (Tropical milkweed). The most abundant aphid prey species in the nests constructed by C. costatus were H. coriandri (28

The predation of aphid hunting wasp, Carinostigmus sp. on fennel aphid, Hyadaphis coriandri is reported from India. The solitary wasp was molecularly identified as Carinostigmus costatus (NCBI Accession No. OQ913733.1). The wasp constructed its nest in the pithy stems of Ceasalpinia pulcherrima (peacock flower) provisioning fennel aphid, H. coriandri . There was a decrease in the population of the fennel aphid, H. coriandri with an increase in the nesting activity of the solitary wasp, C. costatus . Our study indicated that the solitary wasp, C. costatus could be easily conserved by providing pithy stems of C. pulcherrima as nesting habitats around the field borders for natural regulation of aphid infesting fennel.

A study was conducted to document the nesting behaviour and prey composition of a crabronid wasp, Trypoxylon sp. The wasp was molecularly characterised as T. clavicerum (NCBI Accession No. OQ913679.1). Nest acceptance rate was significantly higher in the reeds of Ipomea carnea (79.20%) and bamboo (84.80%). The mean number of brood cells (4.40 f 0.89 cells/nest) and vestibular cells (1.06 cells/nest) built by the wasp was significantly higher in the reeds of I. carnea. . Brood parasitisation by the nest parasite Amobia sp. was significantly higher in nests built by the wasp in paper straws (58.57%) compared to the nests built in the reeds of bamboo (23.33%). The mean durations of the egg, larval and pupal stages of T. clavicerum were 2.60 f 0.55, 6.01 f 0.71 and 4.80 f 0.84 days. The number of nests recovered was observed to be the highest during the months of August (3.66 f 1.53 nests), September (5.00 f 4.36 nests), October (8.67 f 2.89 nests) and November (6.00 f 2.10 nests). The major species of spider from the occupied nests belonged to two families, viz. Salticidae (81%) and Oxyopidae (19%). During the nesting period the adult wasp provisioned a greater number of spiderlings (3.25 to 3.60 spiderlings/cell) than adult spiders (1.20 to 1.60 adult spiders/cell) to her brood. The time taken to complete a single nest provisioned with adult spiders and spiderlings (13.20 f 6.83 hr/single nest) was significantly less than for the nests provisioned with adult spiders (46.80 f 14.80 hr/single nest) only. This study is the first ever report of nesting behaviour and prey composition of the spider-hunting wasp T. clavicerum from India.

Eggplant is an important vegetable crop grown worldwide. Eggplant flowers have typical poricidal anthers which need a vibratory motion for effective pollination. This study was conducted to identify the major flower visitors and their effect on eggplant pollination/fruit set. Nine different species of bees visited eggplant flowers. The pollination efficiency index of the buzz pollinating bee, Amegilla violacea, was found to be the highest and was the most efficient pollinator of eggplant. The fruit set, fruit weight, and the number of seeds per fruit increased with an increase in the level of anther cone bruising and with a greater number of buzzes made by the native bee. Our study confirmed the distinct role of native sonicating bees and emphasizes the need to conserve the native bee fauna for enhancing fruit and seed set in eggplant.

Background Aphidophagous syrphid, Ischiodon scutellaris (Fabricius) (Diptera: Syrphidae) is an effective predator of aphids that infest many agricultural and horticultural crops. Cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora Koch (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is the natural host for culturing syrphid predator, I. scutellaris . The present study was conducted to evaluate the feeding and development of I. scutellaris on seven species of aphid hosts viz., A. craccivora , Aphis fabae Scopoli, Aphis gossypii Glover (from cotton), Schoutedenia emblica (Patel & Kulkarni), Brevicoryne brassicae (L.), Aphis gossypii (from okra) and Hyperomyzus carduellinus (Theobald) and to identify an alternative aphid host to maintain the culture of I. scutellaris during the situation of non-availability/loss of the culture of A. craccivora . Results Aphis fabae was not accepted for feeding by the larvae of I. scutellaris . The larvae of I. scutellaris did not survive on S. emblica . The descending order of feeding potential of aphids by I. scutellaris was A. craccivora > H. carduellinus > B.brassicae > A. gossypii (from cotton) > A. gossypii (from okra) > S. emblica . The larva of I. suctellaris completed its development in combination of the aphid prey ( A. craccivora + H. carduellinus ). The net reproductive rates ( R 0 ) of I. scutellaris when fed on A. craccivora and H. carduellinus were 308.28 and 302.33, respectively. The intrinsic rate of increase ( r ) of I. scutellaris was significantly higher when reared on H. carduellinus (0.155 ± 0.003) than on A. craccivora (0.143 ± 0.004). Conclusion The results confirmed that H. carduellinus reared on Lactuca virosa could serve as an alternate host for the mass production of I. scutellaris .

A study was conducted to document the pollination index of syrphid flies and to record the natural incidence of syrphid larvae on fennel aphid, Hyadaphis coriandri. Five different species of syrphid flies, viz. Episyrphus balteatus, Ischiodon scutellaris, Paragus serratus, Dideop-sis aegrota and Betasyrphus linga were recorded in the flowers of fennel. E. balteatus ranked first in the order of pollination index. The natural incidence of larvae of D. aegrota was significantly higher in the umbels infested with H. coriandri. The results of the study confirmed the possible utility of fennel as a banker crop for the natural proliferation of syrphid predators.

Floral specificity is a behavior that evolved due to mutualistic interactions between the plant-pollinator community. Flowers advertise themselves using visual or chemical cues to attract pollinators and gain reproductive success through pollination. Pollinators forage for rewards such as nectar or pollen produced by the flowers. We found that an anthophorid bee, Tetralonia macroceps, foraged specifically on Argyreia cuneata flowers. No visitation was observed on the flowers of A. nervosa though both belong to Convolvulaceae. T. macroceps was the most abundant floral visitor (5.21 bees/flower/5 min) on A. cuneata and did not visit A. nervosa. Mass flowering and narrow tubular flower structure with easy access to pollen in A. cuneata were the traits that accounted for the foraging specificity of T. macroceps. The present study investigates the preference of T. macroceps for the flowers and floral extracts of A. cuneata and A. nervosa. The bee visited 10.16 flowers/5 min of A. cuneata. T. macroceps were highly attracted to the flowers of A. cuneata. No bees were attracted to A. nervosa. The floral abundance of A. cuneata was relatively higher compared to A. nervosa. Pollen analysis of foraging bees of T. macroceps revealed the selective preference towards the pollen of A. cuneata. The highest number of bees preferred the extract of A. cuneata (7.75) compared to A. nervosa (0.50) in the Y-olfactory maze. Floral extract of A. cuneata caused the highest neuronal electroantennogram (EAG) response (1.48 mV) than A. nervosa (0.36 mV). Our preliminary studies indicated the presence of specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) nonacosane (13.26%), hexatriacontane (12.06%), and beta farnesene (6.19%) observed in A. cuneata were absent in congener A. nervosa.