A whole ecosystem approach to pear psyllid () management in a changing climate.

Whole ecosystem-based approaches are becoming increasingly common in pest management within agricultural systems. These strategies consider all trophic levels and abiotic processes within an ecosystem, including interactions between different factors. This review outlines a whole ecosystem approach to the integrated pest management of pear psyllid ( Linnaeus) within pear ( L.

Methyl N,N-dimethylanthranilate and ethyl propionate: repellents effective against spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii.

Background: Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is an economically important pest of soft and stone fruit crops. The aim of this study was to identify repellents, formulated in dispensers, which could protect crops from D. suzukii.

Preliminary evidence of Drosophila suzukii parasitism in Southeast England.

Controlling the invasive fruit pest, Drosophila suzukii, relies on a range of complimentary pest management approaches. However, increasing external costs (e.g.

Functional and Behavioral Responses of the Natural Enemy to , at Different Temperatures.

Unlabelled: is the dominant predator of pear sucker () in the UK. migrates into orchards in spring or is introduced as a biocontrol agent, reaching peak population levels in July-August, contributing to effective control of summer pear sucker populations. However, due to temperature dependent development and metabolism there are concerns that populations or feeding rates may increase due to changing climatic conditions.

Factors influencing oviposition behaviour of the invasive pest, Drosophila suzukii, derived from interactions with other Drosophila species: potential applications for control.

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) or spotted wing Drosophila is a worldwide invasive pest of soft- and stone-fruit production. Female D. suzukii lay their eggs in ripening fruit and the hatched larvae damage fruit from the inside, rendering it unmarketable and causing significant economic loss.

Location and Creation of Nest Sites for Ground-Nesting Bees in Apple Orchards.

Wild ground-nesting bees are key pollinators of apple (). We explored, (1) where they choose to nest, (2) what influences site selection and (3) species richness in orchards. Twenty-three orchards were studied over three years; twelve were treated with additional herbicide to increase bare ground with the remainder as untreated controls.

The Efficacy of Yeast Phagostimulant Baits in Attract-and-Kill Strategies Varies between Summer- and Winter-Morphs of .

(Matsumura), is a globally invasive pest of soft and stone fruit. To survive winter in temperate zones it enters a reproductive diapause in a morphologically distinct phenotype. Phagostimulant baits can be combined with insecticides in attract-and-kill strategies for control.

Addressing pollination deficits in orchard crops through habitat management for wild pollinators.

There is increasing evidence that farmers in many areas are achieving below maximum yields due to insufficient pollination. Practical and effective approaches are needed to maintain wild pollinator populations within agroecosystems so they can deliver critical pollination services that underpin crop production. We established nesting and wildflower habitat interventions in 24 UK apple orchards and measured effects on flower-visiting insects and the pollination they provide, exploring how this was affected by landscape context.

Live Larvae Deter Oviposition by .

The worldwide invasive insect pest, Matsumura (spotted-wing ), lays eggs in soft and stone fruit before harvest. Hatched larvae cause fruit collapse and significant economic losses. Current control methods rely primarily on foliar insecticide applications, which are not sustainable long-term solutions due to regulatory restrictions and the risk of insecticide resistance developing.

The relative abundances of yeasts attractive to Drosophila suzukii differ between fruit types and are greatest on raspberries.

Fungal metabolic volatiles attract Drosophila suzukii which oviposits in ripening fruits, but there are few data describing the fungal microbiomes of commercial fruits susceptible to this insect pest. We tested the hypothesis that fruit type and ripening stage have a significant effect on fruit surface fungal communities using DNA metabarcoding approaches and found strong support for differences in all three fungal community biodiversity metrics analysed (numbers, types, and abundances of taxa). There was an average fivefold greater difference in fungal communities between sites with different fruit types (strawberry, cherry, raspberry, and blueberry) than across fruit developmental stages, demonstrating site and/or fruit type is the greater factor defining fungal community assemblage.

Field Suppression of Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) ( Matsumura) Using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT).

Drosophila suzukii (spotted wing drosophila—SWD) is an economically important pest of soft and stone fruit worldwide. Control relies on broad-spectrum insecticides, which are neither fully effective nor environmentally sustainable. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a proven, effective and environmentally friendly pest-management tool.

Impacts of Wildflower Interventions on Beneficial Insects in Fruit Crops: A Review.

Integrated pest management (IPM) has been practiced by the fruit industry for at least 30 years. Naturally occurring beneficial insects have been encouraged to thrive alongside introduced predatory insects. However, Conservation Biological Control (CBC) and augmented biocontrol through the release of large numbers of natural enemies is normally only widely adopted when a pest has become resistant to available conventional pesticides and control has begun to break down.

Detection rates of aphid DNA in the guts of larval hoverflies and potential links to the provision of floral resources.

Aphidophagous hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae, Syrphinae) are common flower visitors and aphid predators in a range of flowering plants, including fruit crops. Here, we investigate whether aphid prey DNA can be detected in the gut contents of hoverfly larvae from a commercial strawberry field as a proof of concept that a molecular approach can be used to measure agricultural biocontrol. We used high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to target insect DNA and compared the resulting data to reference databases containing aphid and hoverfly DNA sequences.

Establishment and management of wildflower areas for insect pollinators in commercial orchards.

Sown wildflower areas are increasingly recommended as an agri-environmental intervention measure, but evidence for their success is limited to particular insect groups or hampered by the challenges of establishing seed mixes and maintaining flower abundance over time. We conducted a replicated experiment to establish wildflower areas to support insect pollinators in apple orchards. Over three years, and across 23 commercial UK orchards with and without sown wildflowers, we conducted 828 transect surveys across various non-crop habitats.

Organic Control Strategies for Use in IPM of Invertebrate Pests in Apple and Pear Orchards.

Growers of organic tree fruit face challenges in controlling some pests more easily suppressed by broad-spectrum insecticides in conventionally managed orchards. In recent decades, there has been a move towards organically growing varieties normally reliant on synthetic chemical pesticides (e.g.

The potential for parasite spill-back from commercial bumblebee colonies: a neglected threat to wild bees?

Unlabelled: Commercially-reared bumblebee colonies provide pollination services to numerous crop species globally. These colonies may harbour parasites which can spill-over to wild bee species. However, the potential for parasites to spread from wild to commercial bumblebees, which could then lead to parasite spill-back, is poorly understood.

Opportunities to reduce pollination deficits and address production shortfalls in an important insect-pollinated crop.

Pollinators face multiple pressures and there is evidence of populations in decline. As demand for insect-pollinated crops increases, crop production is threatened by shortfalls in pollination services. Understanding the extent of current yield deficits due to pollination and identifying opportunities to protect or improve crop yield and quality through pollination management is therefore of international importance.

Bumble bees show an induced preference for flowers when primed with caffeinated nectar and a target floral odor.

Caffeine is a widely occurring plant defense chemical that occurs in the nectar of some plants, e.g., Coffea or Citrus spp.

Hero Turned Villain: Identification of Components of the Sex Pheromone of the Tomato Bug, Nesidiocoris tenuis.

Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Heteroptera: Miridae) is a tropical mirid bug used as a biocontrol agent in protected crops, including tomatoes. Although N. tenuis predates important insect pests, especially whitefly, it also causes damage by feeding on tomato plants when prey populations decline, resulting in significant economic losses for growers.

An effective 'push-pull' control strategy for European tarnished plant bug, Lygus rugulipennis (Heteroptera: Miridae), in strawberry using synthetic semiochemicals.

Background: European tarnished plant bug, Lygus rugulipennis (Heteroptera: Miridae), is a polyphagous pest damaging a range of arable and horticultural crops. Management is reliant upon chemical insecticides for control. These studies developed a synthetic semiochemical push-pull control strategy to reduce numbers of L.

Composition of Strawberry Floral Volatiles and their Effects on Behavior of Strawberry Blossom Weevil, Anthonomus rubi.

The strawberry blossom weevil (SBW), Anthonomus rubi, is a major pest in strawberry fields throughout Europe. Traps baited with aggregation pheromone are used for pest monitoring. However, a more effective lure is needed.

The use of light spectrum blocking films to reduce populations of Drosophila suzukii Matsumura in fruit crops.

Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is a serious invasive pest impacting the production of multiple fruit crops, including soft and stone fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and cherries. Effective control is challenging and reliant on integrated pest management which includes the use of an ever decreasing number of approved insecticides. New means to reduce the impact of this pest that can be integrated into control strategies are urgently required.

Host density drives viral, but not trypanosome, transmission in a key pollinator.

Supplemental feeding of wildlife populations can locally increase the density of individuals, which may in turn impact disease dynamics. Flower strips are a widely used intervention in intensive agricultural systems to nutritionally support pollinators such as bees. Using a controlled experimental semi-field design, we asked how density impacts transmission of a virus and a trypanosome parasite in bumblebees.

Varietal and seasonal differences in the effects of commercial bumblebees on fruit quality in strawberry crops.

Both wild and managed pollinators significantly contribute to global food production by providing pollination services to crops. Colonies of commercially-reared honey bees and bumblebees are two of the largest groups of managed pollinators. Bumblebees in particular are increasingly used on soft fruit crops, such as strawberry, an economically important crop globally.

Control of Daily Locomotor Activity Patterns in by the Circadian Clock, Light, Temperature and Social Interactions.

Understanding behavioral rhythms in a pest species can contribute to improving the efficacy of control methods targeting that pest. However, in some species, the behavioral patterns recorded in artificial conditions contrast greatly with observed wild-type behavioral rhythms. In this study, we identify the determinants of daily activity rhythms of the soft and stone fruit pest .