Use of Video Assays to Assess Feeding Behavior by Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae)

Lygus hesperus is a key pest of cotton in the western United States. While feeding on squares and small bolls, Lygus inject enzymatically active saliva that damages tissues leading to abscission of the buds or fruit. Feeding behavior varies among individual Lygus, and this variation complicates studies and assays seeking to elucidate Lygus/cotton interactions. We have developed methods to video monitor Lygus activities and investigate factors that influence feeding behavior. We compared the feeding and searching time between male and female adult Lygus with three different reproductive states: pre-reproductive, mated, and unmated. Pre-reproductive adults spent more time probing/feeding compared to reproductive adults, but there were no differences between genders for pre-reproductive adults. Unmated females tended to stay on squares and feed with longer probing intervals. Comparatively, unmated males spent more time away from the squares and less time feeding. After mating, these behaviors reversed. Mated females frequently probed tissues with very short intervals between oviposition events, but also frequently left squares, presumably in search of optimal oviposition sites. Mated males spent more time on the squares and fed in fewer but longer intervals. This initial study provides evidence for the usefulness of video monitoring to evaluate Lygus behavior.