Development of a control strategy for thrips attacking nectarine trees depends on an understanding of their phenology, distribution, and life history as related to characteristics of nectarine orchards. To this end, we compared the overwintering behavior, distribution, and abundance of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), among 11 nectarine orchards located in the dry c...

Alternative ways to control caterpillar pests and reduce the use of pesticides in apple orchards are in the interest of the environment, farmers and the public. Great tits have already been shown to reduce damage under high caterpillar density when breeding in nest boxes in an experimental apple orchard. We tested whether this reduction also occurs under practical conditions of Integrated Pest ...

Flight periods of the cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cingulata (Loew), were compared in the major sweet and tart cherry-growing regions of Michigan, among neglected orchards, managed orchards, and natural areas containing the ancestral host, black cherry. Traps were deployed from early June to late September 2005 and 2006. Captures indicated that cherry fruit fly has an early flight (June-July) i...

One of the most typical agro-ecosystems in the Llanos de Ojuelos, a semi-arid region of central Mexico, is that of fruit-production orchards of nopales (prickly pear cacti). This perennial habitat with complex vertical structure provides refuge and food for at least 112 species of birds throughout the year. Nopal orchards vary in their internal structure, size and shrub/tree composition, yet th...

Thrips were sampled from six nectarine orchards in the Dry Central Interior, British Columbia, Canada, between April and June 1993 using yellow sticky cards on posts spaced around the perimeter of each orchard. Although 12 identified species of thrips were captured, >90% of individuals were the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande). The flight patterns and abundances of w...

Taylor's Power Law was fit to Tylenchulus semipenetrans population data obtained from individual trees in a survey of 50 Florida citrus orchards (geographic survey) and to data from individual trees within a single orchard collected at regular intervals for 2 years (temporal survey). No significant differences were detected between slope or intercept values when log variance was regressed again...

Field studies were conducted from 1992 to 1996 to select the most effective sex pheromone blend for mating disruption of the obliquebanded leafroller, Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris), in tree fruit orchards in Washington. Dispensers loaded with a 2-component pheromone blend, (Z)-1l-tetradecen-1-yl (Zll-14:0Ac) and (E)-1l-tetradecen-1-yl (Ell-14:0Ac), a 3-component blend that included the addit...

Remote sensing techniques can decrease pest monitoring costs in orchards. To evaluate the feasibility of detecting spider mite damage in orchards, we measured visible and near infrared reflectance of 1153 leaves and 392 canopies in 11 peach orchards in California. Pairs of significant wavelengths, identified by Partial Least Squares regression, were combined into normalized difference indices. ...

The European earwig (Forficula auricularia) is potentially a predator of a number of insect pests in apple orchards. However, its effectiveness as a natural enemy in apple orchards may be compromised by insecticide sprays. A laboratory bioassay of eight insecticides currently used in Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) apple orchards and one as-yet unregistered product was undertaken to determine...