Insect immobilization

Animal toxins are roughly divided into venoms and poisons. Venoms are offensive, used in the quest for food. Snakes produce toxins that can immobilize or kill prey for food. The venom of spiders paralyzes insects to allow the spider to feed on the victim s body fluids. While the venoms may also be used defensively, their primary purpose is in the quest for food. Most venom is delivered from the mouth, as in snakes and spiders, but there are exceptions like the scorpion that uses its tail. 

In addition to physical forms of resistance, plants also rely on chemicals to immobilize, repel and poison phytophagus Insects. These chemicals may be located in various types of oil... 

Immobilizing Chemicals. Some plants produce a sticky, gummy exudate from glandular trichomes. These exudates effectively immobilize small Insects. 

Wang MY, Kuo YY, Lee MS, Doong SR, Ho JY, Lee LH (2000), Self-assembly of the infectious bursal disease virus capsid protein, rVP2, expressed in insect cells and purification of immunogenic chimeric rVP2H particles by immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography, Biotechnol. Bioeng. 67 104-111. 

Kawabata, S. and Tsuji, K. (2005). The policing behavior immobilization towards ovary-developed workers in the ant, Diacamma sp. from Japan. Insect. Soc., 52, 89-95. 

Fire ants rapidly immobilize insect prey by stinging, demonstrating that the venom is strongly... 

The nereistoxin analogs (cartap hydrochloride, bensultap, and thiocyclam) are all proinsecticides that must be activated in vivo to become nereistoxin (see Chapter 4, subsection 4.2.12.8 for nereistoxin structure). Nereistoxin acts as an antagonist of the acetylcholine receptor. Unlike with nicotine, insects treated with nereistoxin are rapidly immobilized without convulsive symptoms, possibly because nereistoxin does not induce depolarization (Corbett et al., 1984). 

Leaves pale green to yellow and dropping. Cause San Jose scale. Look for the small, ash-colored to sooty black bumps of San Jose scale clinging to the bark. Colonies of these sucking, immobile insects cling to bark and weaken trees by sucking sap. Control scale with dormant oil spray applied in late winter. 

Grape scales are tiny, round, immobile insects resembling light gray bumps. Scales usually hide under the loose bark of older canes or trunks, where they suck sap and cause the vine to slowly decline. For control, spray with dormant oil in late winter and prune old growth severely. 

Leaves pale and discolored tiny brown bumps on undersides and stems. Cause Scales. These immobile insects suck fluids from plant cells. They may excrete sticky honeydew onto nearby leaves. Isolate affected plants. Remove heavily infested leaves. Gently scrape insects... 

This pattern has an immobile stage, called a pupa, between the immature and adult forms of the insect. During the pupal stage, the tissues of the immature insect transform into an adult with an entirely different appearance. Butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, and flies exhibit this type of metamorphosis. 

For example, xylene is considered to be an inert ingredient in some formulations, when used as a solvent. Xylene is not harmless exposure can result in severe health effects ranging from skin irritation to reproductive and nervous system toxicity. Another example is piperonyl butoxide, used in insecticidal formulations. Piperonyl butoxide has clear biological activity it acts to inhibit metabolic enzymes. It does not, however, directly kill or immobilize insect pests. Piperonyl butoxide potentiates the active ingredient in insecticidal formulations by blocking detoxification pathways in the insect. 

Receptors can be isolated and immobilized on the transducer surface, but for the purpose a complete organelle can be employed, e.g., animal or insect antennule, or nerve fibers,132 where different sensitivity was demonstrated for various stimuli (amino acids and closely-related analogs). For comparison, the biosensor made with isolated olfactory receptor proteins, immobilized on the surface of piezoelectric crystal, exhibited sensitivity to different volatile compounds.134... 

Insects are usually held in groups of ten. Adams showed that cross-contamination occurs between individuals. A female cockroach could transfer a dose sufficient to kill a male. A case could be made for holding insects separately unless the material has such a slow action that return of the insects to their harbourage would occur in the field before immobilization. 

Adheslve entrapment. Mortality and immobilization of aphids increases with a rise in density of Type A and Type B trichomes and with increased volume of Type A trichome glands. Insects landing on the foliage first encounter Type B trichome exudate which forms an adhesive coating on the tarsi. This accelerates... 

Roy, R.B. and Kvenberg, J.E. 1981. Determination of insect infestation in food a semiautomated colorimetric analysis for uric acid with immobilized uricase. J. Food Sci. 46, 1439-1445. 

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