The light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana Walker, is a highly polyphagous native pest of Australia that has recently caused widespread damage to pome, citrus, and vine crops in Victoria and Tasmania. Populations of the pest were followed in a young pesticide-free orchard for two seasons and showed a survival trend of less than 1% of the total eggs laid in each season. An evaluation of its natural enemies by numerical, serological, and forced feeding techniques showed that spiders, particularly the theridiid Achaearanea veruculata (Urquhart), were valuable predators and that they were supported by chrysopids and mirids for short periods of time. Egg, larval, and pupal parasites also contributed to mortality. Brief biological notes on some of the predators are given.
Versuche mit gezielter Schadlingsbekampfung im Apfelbau in Mittelschweden wahrend der Jahre 1973-1976. Acta agric. Scand. 27, 49-57. ROSENBERG, H. T., 1934: The biology and distribution in France of the larval parasites of Cydia pornonella (L.). Bull. Entomol. Res. 25, 201-256. Russ, K.; RUPF, O., 1975: Influence of arasites and pathogenes on the hibernating population of codling moth (Laspeyresia pornone& L.) in Austria. Proc. Symp. Sterility Principle for Insect Control (Innsbruck). IAEA, Vienna, 1974. pp. 557-563. SHENEFELT, R. D., 1969: Braconidae 1. In: Hymenopterorum Catalogus. Ed. by C. Ferriere and J. van der Vecht. 's-Gravenhage, pp. 1-176.-1970: Braconidae 3. In: Hymenopterorurn Catalogus. Ed. by C. Ferriere and J. van der Vecht. 's-Gravenhage, pp. 307-428. SOLOMON, M. E.; GLEN, D. M.; KENDALL, D. A.; MILSOM, N. F., 1976: Predation of overwintering larvae of codling moth (Cydia pornonella) by birds. J. Appl. Ecol. 13, 341-352. SOLOMON, M. E.; GLEN, D. M., 1979: Prey density and rates of predation by tits (Parus spp.) on larvae of codling moth (Cydia pornonella) under bark. J. Appl. Ecol. 16, 49-59.
Many fields near the shore of St. Mary's Bay, Digby County, N.S., are severely infested with the wireworm Agriotes sputator (L.). This European species, established in Canada only in scartered areas in Nova Scotia, is a very prolific and destructive insect. Infested fields frequently contain one and a half million larvae per acre and as many as 55 larvae have been found in a six-inch cube of soil. In such areas the vegetation on many acres of potentially excellent grassland has deteriorated to little but hawkweeds, Hieracium spp., plants apparently not attractive to the larvae.
Proof of insect predation by small arthropods is difficult to obtain under orchard conditions. The act of predation is seldom observed and unless some characteristic sign is left by the predator there is little chance of recognizing the species responsible. Many special techniques to study predation have been designed, but because they all have limitations it is still necessary to present circumstantial evidence in most predator-prey field studies. Perhaps the most common technique used is the limb or tree cage whereby both prey and suspected predators are released within the cage and observations made at regular intervals. This cage method, as well as the insecticidal check method of DeBach (1946) as modified by Lord (1956), the precipitin test (MacLellan (1954), West (1950)), the use of radioisotopes (Ahmed et al., (1954), Baldwin et al., (1955), MacLellan (1958b)), and others were considered for use in the present studies but were rejected because of particular limitations.
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