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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Rodent species as natural reservoirs of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in different habitats of Ixodes ricinus in The Netherlands
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases (2013), Volume: 4, Issue: 5 - ISSN 1877-959X - p. 452-458. -
Spatiotemporal dynamics of emerging pathogens in questing Ixodes ricinus
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (2013), Volume: 3 - ISSN 2235-2988 -
Geographic coincidence of increased malaria transmission hazard and vulnerability occurring at the periphery of two Tanzanian villages.
Malaria Journal (2013), Volume: 12 - ISSN 1475-2875 -
Biological tools for control of larval stages of malaria vectors – a review
Biocontrol Science and Technology (2013), Volume: 23, Issue: 9 - ISSN 0958-3157 - p. 987-1023. -
Indoor volatiles of primary school classrooms in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico, are attractants to Aedes aegypti females
Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association (2013), Volume: 29, Issue: 3 - ISSN 8756-971X - p. 297-300. -
Relation between HLA genes, human skin volatiles and attractiveness of humans to malaria mosquitoes
Infection, Genetics and Evolution (2013), Volume: 18 - ISSN 1567-1348 - p. 87-93. -
A 3D Analysis of Flight Behavior of Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto Malaria Mosquitoes in Response to Human Odor and Heat
PLoS ONE (2013), Volume: 8, Issue: 5 - ISSN 1932-6203 -
Effects of blood-feeding on olfactory sensitivity of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae: application of mixed linear models to account for repeated measurements
Journal of Insect Physiology (2013), Volume: 59 - ISSN 0022-1910 - p. 1111-1118. -
Mosquitoes as potential bridge vectors of malaria parasites from non-human primates to humans
Frontiers in Physiology (2012), Volume: 3 - ISSN 1664-042X -
Integrated mosquito larval source management reduces larval numbers in two highland villages in western Kenya
BMC Public Health (2012), Volume: 12 - ISSN 1471-2458