Biocontrol in field conifers

Jana Lee

Agricultural Research Service

Horticultural Crops Research Unit

Scouting for beneficials • Some common good guys

• Laminated sheet & pocket guide

Aphid biocontrol in field conifers • Beneficials with flowers (Lee, Rosetta)

• Beneficials with MeSA (Lee)

• Others….

ID mummified aphids, hole in scale

Commercially available

UC

IP

M

Predatory midges

Aphidioletes azimidyza

• Eat aphids,

mealybugs,

scales

• ID small fly

• Orange-

yellow-green

headless grub

• Commercially

available U

C I

PM

Green and brown lacewings

• Eat aphids, eggs and other soft-bodied

insects

• Available commercially to release

• Successful trials for grape leafhopper and

conifer aphids

Lacewing ID

UC

IP

M

Lady beetle ID

UC

IP

M

ID to species

“C7”

7 spots

White sides on

prothorax

Convergent

lady beetle

Multicolored

Asian lady

beetle

Harmonia

Hover (syrphid) flies

• Eat

aphids

• ID bee-

like, or

grub UC

IP

M

Minute pirate (Orius) bugs

UC

IP

M

Commercially available

Deraeocoris sp. (predatory mirid)

bugguid

e.n

et

UC

IP

M

Damsel bugs Big-eyed bugs

True bugs

• Straw-like mouthpart for sucking the life

out of prey

bugguid

e.n

et

• Eat snails/slugs, weed seeds, insects at all

stages, and aphids that fall and each other

• Common, sensitive to soil-insecticides but

nearby refuge vegetation can help

D K

avan

au

gh

Carabid (ground) beetles

Mic

hig

an

Sta

te U

.

Rove beetles

• Eat insect eggs and

larvae, mites, snails

• ID usually < ¾ inch

• Slender black, brown,

orange

• Run fast, arch back

Ed

uw

eb

s.o

rg

MS

U

syn

ge

nta

-bio

line

.co

.uk

Ants • Eat insects from an area, Trouble for my

aphid colonies

• Ant nests placed in citrus orchards in

China

C. C

hie

n

• ID

• Problematic

for biological

control?

Scouting for beneficials • Some common good guys

• Laminated sheet & pocket guide

Aphid biocontrol in field conifers • Providing beneficials with their needs

• Attracting beneficials with odors

• Others….

Farmscaping

What needs do natural enemies have?

Design habitat so as to provide for the

needs of natural enemies

• Overwintering sites

• Supplemental foods – pollen,

nectar

• Shelter

Approaches • Perennial refugia – beetle banks,

conservation buffers, hedgerows

Approaches

• Perennial refugia

• Artificial- sprays

• Annual vegetation - cover cropping,

floral strips, potted flowers?

www.practicalwinery.com

Insectary Plants in Spruce

Pollen and nectar attract and enhance longevity of

natural enemies

Potential pitfalls? …same for pest insects, weedy

Can it work ? (2006-Rosetta)

• Weekly samples Mar - Dec

• Visually inspect 10 or 5 spruce trees per plot

• # of hover fly larvae & eggs higher in plots with coriander

• +/- aphids similar

Spruce with

Coriander

Spruce with

Alyssum

Spruce only

Control Coriander

Coriander Coriander

Coriander

Alyssum Alyssum Alyssum

Alyssum

Control Control Control

Control

Block I (not drawn to scale)

~15 m

~15 m

~112 m

~5 m

More exploration in 2008

• Flower pots interspersed in a line b/n spruce

• Alyssum + coriander plot vs. control, 5 reps

• Visual count of aphids, vacuum flowers, sticky traps

• 680 ft separation between plots w/in block

c

c

control

c

f

flower

f c

f

f

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

2-Apr 22-Apr 12-May 1-Jun 21-Jun 11-Jul 31-Jul 20-Aug 9-Sep 29-Sep

Mean

mu

mm

y p

er

pla

nt +

SE control

flower

Treatment P = 0.92,

week P < 0.0001,

Treatment*week P =

0.9, block P < 0.0001

Mummified aphids

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

2-Apr 22-Apr 12-May 1-Jun 21-Jun 11-Jul 31-Jul 20-Aug 9-Sep 29-Sep

Mean

pre

dato

rs p

er

pla

nt

+ S

E

control

flower

Treatment P = 0.32, week P

< 0.0001, Treatment*week P

= 0.39, block P = 0.17

Predators

Scouting for beneficials • Some common good guys

• Laminated sheet & pocket guide

Aphid biocontrol in field conifers • Providing beneficials with their needs

• Attracting beneficials with odors

• Others….

Odors attracting natural enemies

Herbivore-induced volatiles

methyl salicylate (MeSA)

MeSA

Questions

MeSA

? ?

MeSA

No food

• Flowers or artificial food to keep natural enemies satisfied ?

• Good for point of release ?

In spruce • MeSA impact natural enemies & pests?

• Yellow pan traps

• Shoot tip samples

• Clear sticky cards

• Pest damage?

• Spatial pattern?

• < 1 m

• ~4-7 m away

2009 n = 4

2010 n = 5

3 lures in 1800ft2

Dosage = 73 lures/acre

or 180 lures/ha

MeSA increase beneficials?

Repeated measures ANOVA: Mummies 2009: treatment P = 0.082, distance P = 0.18, time P < 0.001, treatment*time P = 0.063; Pseudopraon 2010: treatment P = 0.081, distance P = 0.074, time P < 0.001, treatment*time P < 0.001

Spruce: Pest

damage

2009 – less damage in MeSA 2010 – more damage in MeSA

Scouting for beneficials • Some common good guys

• Laminated sheet & pocket guide

Aphid biocontrol in field conifers • Providing beneficials with their needs

• Attracting beneficials with odors

• Others….

Aphid biocontrol in Christmas tree

Acknowledgements

• Robin Rosetta

• Christina Fieland, Nikko Fujita, Dani

Lightle, Emily Parent, Thomas Whitney,

Jeff Wong

• Participating Growers

• J.F. Schmidt Foundation, USDA CRIS

5358-22000-037-00D