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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Circumstantial evidence for an increase in the total number and activity of borrelia-infected ixodes ricinus in the Netherlands.
Parasites & Vectors (2012), Volume: 5, Issue: 5 - ISSN 1756-3305 -
Ziekte van Lyme : nasleep van een tekenbeet
Den Haag: Stichting Biowetenschappen en Maatschappij (Cahier / Bio-Wetenschappen en Maatschappij 31e jrg. (2012), nr. 1) - ISBN: 9789073196667 -
Ethnoknowledge of Bukusu community on livestock tick prevention and control in Bungoma district, western Kenya
Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2012), Volume: 140, Issue: 2 - ISSN 0378-8741 - p. 298-324. -
The SolarMal Project: innovative mosquito trapping technology for malaria control
Malaria Journal (2012), Volume: 11, Issue: 1 - ISSN 1475-2875 -
Evaluation of low density polyethylene and nylon for delivery of synthetic mosquito attractants.
Parasites & Vectors (2012), Volume: 5 - ISSN 1756-3305 -
A Novel Synthetic Odorant Blend for Trapping of Malaria and Other African Mosquito Species
Journal of Chemical Ecology (2012), Volume: 38, Issue: 3 - ISSN 0098-0331 - p. 235-244. -
Identification of candidate volatiles that affect the behavioural response of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto to an active kairomone blend: laboratory and semi-field assays
Physiological Entomology (2012), Volume: 37, Issue: 1 - ISSN 0307-6962 - p. 60-71. -
Prevalence of Coxiella Burnetii in Ticks After a Large Outbreak of Q Fever
Zoonoses and Public Health (2012), Volume: 59, Issue: 1 - ISSN 1863-1959 - p. 69-75. -
Efficacy of Aquatain, a Monomolecular Film, for the Control of Malaria Vectors in Rice Paddies
PLoS ONE (2011), Volume: 6 - ISSN 1932-6203 -
Development of environmental tools for anopheline larval control
Parasites & Vectors (2011), Volume: 4 - ISSN 1756-3305