A new mite IPM strategy: predator avoidance behaviour resulting from the synergetic effects of predator release and acaricide-treated nets.

Background: Tetranychus evansi and T. urticae spider mites are known major pests of Solanaceae. Smallholders in Africa rely heavily on pesticide treatments.

Spatial Distribution of and in Smallholder Avocado Orchards along Altitudinal Gradient of Taita Hills and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Avocado () fruits are an important source of income and a nutritious food for small-scale growers and other stakeholders involved in farming along the Afrotropical highlands of Taita Hills and Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya and Tanzania, respectively. Avocado fruits are infested by several insect pests, namely the Asian invasive fruit fly, (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), and the false codling moth, Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). However, there is inadequate information on the distribution patterns of these pests in small-scale avocado cropping systems in the East African highlands.

A major host plant volatile, 1-octen-3-ol, contributes to mating in the legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

Previous studies on the legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a serious pest of cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (Fabales: Fabaceae), in sub-Saharan Africa have focused on sex pheromones, but the role of the host plant on sexual behavior has not been explored.