Thrips (fhysanoptera) are very small insects, widespread throughout the world with a preponderance of tropical species, many temperate ones, and even a few living in arctic regions. Of the approximately 5,000 species so far identified, only a few hundred are crop pests, causing serious damage or transmitting diseases to growing crops and harvestable produce in most countries. Their fringed wings confer a natural ability to disperse widely, blown by the wind. Their minute size and cryptic behavior make them difficult to detect either in the field or in fresh vegetation transported during international trade of vegetables, fruit and ornamental flowers. Many species have now spread from their original natural habitats and hosts to favorable new environments where they often reproduce rapidly to develop intense damaging infestations that are costly to control. Over the past decade there have been several spectacular examples of this. The western flower thrips has expanded its range from the North American continent to Europe, Australia and South Africa. Thrips palmi has spread from its presumed origin, the island of Sumatra, to the coast of Florida, and threatens to extend its distribution throughout North and South America. Pear thrips, a known orchard pest of Europe and the western United States and Canada has recently become a major defoliator of hardwood trees in Vermont and the neighboring states. Local outbreaks of other species are also becoming problems in field and glasshouse crops as the effectiveness of insecticides against them decline.

Field Crop Arthropod Pests of Economic Importance presents detailed descriptions of the biology and ecology of important arthropod pest of selected global field crops. Standard management options for insect pest control on crops include biological, non-chemical, and chemical approaches. However, because agricultural crops face a wide range of insect pests throughout the year, it can prove difficult to find a simple solution to insect pest control in many, if not most, cropping systems. A whole-farm or integrated pest management approach combines cultural, natural, and chemical controls to maintain insect pest populations below levels that cause economic damage to the crop. This practice requires accurate species identification and thorough knowledge of the biology and ecology of the target organism. Integration and effective use of various control components is often enhanced when the target organism is correctly identified, and its biology and ecology are known. This book provides a key resource toward that identification and understanding. Students and professionals in agronomy, insect detection and survey, and economic entomology will find the book a valuable learning aid and resource tool. - Includes insect synonyms, common names, and geographic distribution - Provides information on natural enemies - Is thoroughly referenced for future research

This book provides trajectories and illustrations of viruses that have catapulted into the global arena (linked to humans, animals, and vectors) due to human behaviors in recent years, as well as viruses that have already shown expansion among humans, animals, and vectors just a few decades ago. Topics in the current book include: vaccines environmental impact emerging virus transmission Filovirus (Ebola) hemorrhagic fevers flaviviruses Dengue evasion papillomaviruses Hepatitis C Nipah virus giant viruses hantaviruses bunyaviruses encephalitides West Nile virus Zika virus XMRV henipaviruses human respiratory syncytial virus influenza A virus several aspects of HIV-1

This handbook is a companion to Agricultural Insect Pests of the Tropics and their Control (2nd Edition 1983) and, like the earlier book, it is designed as a source of reference about most of the major insect and mite pests of agricultural crops. These two volumes by the same author now present a world-wide coverage of the economically important insect pests of tropical and temperate agriculture. Students taking courses in entomology, agriculture, crop pest biology and crop protection, and professional workers concerned with identification and control of insect pests, will find this comprehensive account an indispensable handbook and source of reference.