a-precise-autonomous-system-for-detection-insect-emergence

A Precise and Autonomous System for the Detection of Insect Emergence Patterns

Existing systems to measure insect emergence patterns have limitations; they are only partially automated and are limited in the maximum number of ...

Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS

Many insects are tolerant of hypoxic conditions, but survival may come at a cost to long-term health. The alfalfa leaf-cutting bee, Megachile rotundata, develops in brood cells inside natural cavities, and may be exposed to hypoxic conditions for extended periods of time. Whether M. rotundata is tolerant of hypoxia, and whether exposure results in sub-lethal effects, has never been investigated. Overwintering M. rotundata prepupae were exposed to 10%, 13%, 17%, 21% and 24% O2 for 11 months. Once adults emerged, five indicators of quality - emergence weight, body size, feeding activity, flight performance, and adult longevity, - were measured to determine whether adult bees that survived past exposure to hypoxia were competent pollinators. M. rotundata prepupae are tolerant of hypoxic condition and have higher survival rates in hypoxia, than in normoxia. Under hypoxia, adult emergence rates did not decrease over the 11 months of the experiment. In contrast, bees reared in normoxia had decreased emergence rates by 8 months, and were dead by 11 months. M. rotundata prepupae exposed to extended hypoxic conditions had similar emergence weight, head width, and cross-thorax distance compared to bees reared in standard 21% oxygen. Despite no significant morphological differences, hypoxia-exposed bees had lower feeding rates and shorter adult lifespans. Hypoxia may play a role in post-diapause physiology of M. rotundata, with prepupae showing better survival under hypoxic conditions. Extended exposure to hypoxia, while not fatal, causes sub-lethal effects in feeding rates and longevity in the adults, indicating that hypoxia tolerance comes at a cost.

Extended hypoxia in the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata, increases survival but causes sub-lethal effects.

Alfalfa seed production in the northwestern United States and western Canada is heavily dependent upon the pollinating services of Megachile rotundata (F.) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). M. rotundata females nest in cavities either naturally occurring or in artificial nesting blocks. Because of the physical nature of the nest, M. rotundata brood may have limited to no exposure to photoperiodic cues in order to regulate important circadian functions. Therefore, various thermoperiod regimes were used to characterize the possible role of thermoperiodism in synchronizing M. rotundata adult emergence. Adult emergence was monitored using a microprocessor-controlled event logger. Incubating bees under constant 29°C and darkness resulted in an arhythmic adult emergence pattern. Exposing developing M. rotundata to a thermoperiod synchronized emergence to the beginning of the thermophase and decreased the total number of days required for all adults to emerge. The amplitude of the thermoperiod regulated the timing of peak emergence in relationship to the increase in temperature. A thermoperiod amplitude of only 2°C was sufficient to synchronize peak adult emergence to take place during the rise in temperature. Increasing the amplitude of the thermoperiod to 4 or 8°C caused a positively correlated shift in peak emergence to later in the thermophase. Brood stored under constant 29°C and darkness for different durations (May or June early in the growing season or July or August late in the growing season) or under a fluctuating thermal regime (base temperature of 6°C and daily 1-h pulse of 20°C until September or November) maintained their capacity for entraining emergence timing by thermoperiodism. 

Thermoperiodism Synchronizes Emergence in the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae).

The alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata (F.), is the primary pollinator for alfalfa seed production in North America. Under current management practice, developing pupae are incubated at 29-30°C until the adults emerge for pollination. If unfavorable spring weather delays peak alfalfa bloom, managers will cool pupae to slow development, which can increase mortality and causes sublethal effects. Previously, we demonstrated that exposure to a fluctuating thermal regime (FTR) increases survival and extends the viable storage period. To determine the optimal conditions for FTR during storage of developing M. rotundata, we examined four variables: temperature of the daily warm pulse, duration of the warm pulse, number of weeks exposed to the FTR treatment, and developmental stage of the bee. Survival was measured by successful eclosion to the adult stage. Under all conditions, exposure to FTR increased survival compared with exposure to a constant 6°C. When the temperature of the daily warm pulse was 20-25°C from a base temperature of 6°C, and the pulse duration was extended to 3 h, survival rates were as high as those observed under standard storage conditions (29°C). Under this FTR storage protocol, bee managers can delay emergence for ∼8 wk without significant decreases in survival. Our findings have substantial economic implications for bee management and alfalfa seed production by increasing the flexibility and efficiency of M. rotundata adult emergence.

Joseph P. Rinehart

Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS

A Precise and Autonomous System for the Detection of Insect Emergence Patterns