Impact of reduced-risk insecticides on soybean aphid and associated natural enemies.

Insect predators in North America suppress Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations; however, insecticides are required when populations reach economically damaging levels. Currently, insecticides used to manage A. glycines are broad-spectrum (pyrethroids and organophosphates), and probably reduce beneficial insect abundance in soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. Our goal was to determine whether insecticides considered reduced-risk by the Environmental Protection Agency could protect soybean yield from A. glycines herbivory while having a limited impact on the aphid's natural enemies. We compared three insecticides (imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and pymetrozine,) to a broad-spectrum insecticide (lamda-cyhalothrin) and an untreated control using two application methods. We applied neonicotinoid insecticides to seeds (imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) as well as foliage (imidacloprid); pymetrozine and lamda-cyhalothrin were applied only to foliage. Foliage-applied insecticides had lower A. glycines populations and higher yields than the seed-applied insecticides. Among foliage-applied insecticides, pymetrozine and imidacloprid had an intermediate level of A. glycines population and yield protection compared with lamda-cyhalothrin and the untreated control. We monitored natural enemies with yellow sticky cards, sweep-nets, and direct observation. Before foliar insecticides were applied (i.e., before aphid populations developed) seed treatments had no observable effect on the abundance of natural enemies. After foliar insecticides were applied, differences in natural enemy abundance were observed when sampled with sweep-nets and direct observation but not with yellow sticky cards. Based on the first two sampling methods, pymetrozine and the foliage-applied imidacloprid had intermediate abundances of natural enemies compared with the untreated control and lamda-cyhalothrin.

Probability of cost-effective management of soybean aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in North America.

Soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is one of the most damaging pests of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, in the midwestern United States and Canada. We compared three soybean aphid management techniques in three midwestern states (Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota) for a 3-yr period (2005-2007). Management techniques included an untreated control, an insecticidal seed treatment, an insecticide fungicide tank-mix applied at flowering (i.e., a prophylactic treatment), and an integrated pest management (IPM) treatment (i.e., an insecticide applied based on a weekly scouting and an economic threshold). In 2005 and 2007, multiple locations experienced aphid population levels that exceeded the economic threshold, resulting in the application of the IPM treatment. Regardless of the timing of the application, all insecticide treatments reduced aphid populations compared with the untreated, and all treatments protected yield as compared with the untreated. Treatment efficacy and cost data were combined to compute the probability of a positive economic return. The IPM treatment had the highest probability of cost effectiveness, compared with the prophylactic tank-mix of fungicide and insecticide. The probability of surpassing the gain threshold was highest in the IPM treatment, regardless of the scouting cost assigned to the treatment (ranging from $0.00 to $19.76/ha). Our study further confirms that a single insecticide application can enhance the profitability of soybean production at risk of a soybean aphid outbreak if used within an IPM based system.

Is preventative, concurrent management of the soybean aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and bean leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) possible?

In Iowa, the management of insect pests in soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., has been complicated by the arrival of the invasive species soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and occasional outbreaks of bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata (Förster) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), populations leading to economic losses. Several insecticide programs designed to reduce abundance of the overwintered and first generation C. trifurcata and the incidence of bean pod mottle virus were evaluated over 3 yr (2004-2006) for their impacts on A. glycines populations, at three locations in Iowa (Floyd, Lucas, and Story counties). There was no significant overlap of either overwintered (early May) or the first (early July) generations of C. trifurcata with A. glycines, because aphids were first detected in June and they did not reach economically damaging levels until August, if at all. During this study, insecticides targeting the overwintered population or the first generation of C. trifurcata provided a limited impact on A. glycines populations compared with untreated controls, and they did not prevent economic populations from occurring. Furthermore, the highest populations of A. glycines were frequently observed when a low rate of lambda-cyhalothrin (178 ml/ha) was applied targeting the overwintered population of C. trifurcata. Soybean yields were not protected by any of the insecticide treatments. Our results indicate that the use of either early season foliar or seed-applied insecticides for C. trifurcata management is of limited value for A. glycines management.

Association of sleep habits with accidents and near misses in United States transportation operators.

OBJECTIVE: To explore sleep risk factors and their association with adverse events in transportation operators. METHODS: Self-reported sleep-related behaviors were analyzed in transportation operators (drivers, pilots, and rail operators) aged 26 to 78 years who completed the National Sleep Foundation's 2012 "Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and Sleep" survey. Regression analyses were used to assess the associations of various sleep-related variables with the combined outcome of self-reported accidents and near misses. RESULTS: Age- and body mass-adjusted predictors of accidents/near misses included an accident while commuting (odds ratio [OR] = 4.6; confidence interval [CI], 2.1 to 9.8), driving drowsy (OR = 4.1; CI, 2.5 to 6.7), and Sheehan Disability Scale score greater than 15 (OR = 3.5; CI, 2.2 to 5.5). Sleeping more than 7 hours nightly was protective for accident/near misses (OR = 0.6; CI, 0.4 to 0.9). CONCLUSION: Recognized risk factors for poor sleep or excessive daytime sleepiness were significantly associated with self-reported near misses and/or accidents in transportation operators.