Willem Takken's research
After the Second World War much entomological research was undertaken from the concept that most pest problems caused by insects could be solved by application of insecticides.
Research
Chemical control was considered cheap, effective and safe. It is now realized that this approach was non-sustainable. Already in the early days of chemical control the Laboratory of Entomology choose a different approach for its research, with emphasis on alternative methods of control. Initially the research focused on insect physiology i.e. hormonal regulation of insect development and resulted in the discovery of insect growth regulators as modern and selective control agents. Subsequently much work was done (and continues to be done) on the physiology of insect/plant interactions and the ecology of parasite/host and predator/prey interactions. In the last decade research on arthropod vectors of human and animal diseases complemented the research at the Laboratory.
The Laboratory of Entomology conducts fundamental and applied research. Fundamental scientific research concerns 5 topics:
- Host plant selection by herbivorous insects and mites;
- Chemical communication between plants and carnivorous insects and mites;
- Foraging behaviour of predators and parasitoids;
- Population dynamics of parasitoids
- Evolutionary ecology of asexual reproduction in insects.
Applied research is narrowly associated with the fundamental research, and includes the following topics:
- Development of biological and integrated pest management in greenhouses, orchards and field crops;
- Mechanisms of host-plant resistance;
- Biological and integrated control of pests and vectors in the tropics
Publications
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Effects of adult body size on fecundity and the pre-gravid rate of Anopheles gambiae females in Tanzania.
Medical and Veterinary Entomology (1993), Volume: 7 - ISSN 0269-283X - p. 328-332. -
Anophelism without malaria in Europe : A review of the ecology and distribution of the genus Anopheles in Europe
Wageningen Agricultural University (Wageningen Agricultural University Papers 94-5) - ISBN: 9789067543736 -
Influence of human breath on selection of biting sites by Anopheles albimanus.
Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association (1994), Volume: 10 - ISSN 8756-971X - p. 423-426. -
Odor-induced host location in Tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae).
Journal of Medical Entomology (1994), Volume: 31 - ISSN 0022-2585 - p. 775-794. -
Age effects on the insemination rate of Anopheles gambiae s.l. in the laboratory.
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata (1994), Volume: 72 - ISSN 0013-8703 - p. 167-172. -
Trapping system for testing olfactory responses of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae in a wind tunnel.
Medical and Veterinary Entomology (1994), Volume: 8 - ISSN 0269-283X - p. 386-388. -
Species-specific attraction of Anopheles mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) to different humans in South-East Tanzania.
Proceedings of the Section Experimental and Applied Entomology of the Netherlands Entomological Society (1995), Volume: 6 - ISSN 1388-8390 - p. 201-206. -
Density independent feeding success of malaria vectors (Diptera: Culicidae) in Tanzania.
Bulletin of Entomological Research (1995), Volume: 85, Issue: 1 - ISSN 0007-4853 - p. 29-35. -
Differential attractiveness of isolated humans to mosquitoes in Tanzania.
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (1995), Volume: 89 - ISSN 0035-9203 - p. 604-606. -
Mapping the densities of malaria vectors within a single village.
Acta Tropica (1995), Volume: 59 - ISSN 0001-706X - p. 1-18.