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Field studies were conducted to compare insect population levels in greenhouse crops covered with plastics that block the transmission of UV light in two wavelength ranges. Crops grown in greenhouses under a plastic that blocked UV light at wavelengths of 380 nm and below had lower numbers of aphids and thrips compared with a plastic that blocked UV light at wavelengths of 360 nm and below. This is consistent with the results found for thrips in previous studies using small, completely enclosed tunnels with no plant material. The effects were not as dramatic in the commercial greenhouses, perhaps due to unfiltered light entering through the open sides of those greenhouses. There was no reduction in greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood, populations under the <380 UV-absorbing plastic compared to <360 nm UV-absorbing plastic in these field trials. This is inconsistent with results found in small, completely enclosed tunnels, where sticky traps caught a significantly higher proportion (95 +/- 2%) of released greenhouse whiteflies inside tunnels covered with <360 nm absorbing plastic compared with the <380 nm absorbing plastic. The results of these studies suggest that the type of greenhouse plastic used in a structure can affect population levels of some insect species, and may be useful tools in developing integrated pest management programs for insect management. The design of the greenhouse and amount of unfiltered light that enters the system appear to be important factors in determining the level of effect.

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The red gum lerp psyllid is an insect native to Australia, where it feeds upon eucalyptus species. Since 1998 this psyllid has spread throughout California, resulting in millions of dollars in damage and control costs. To help suppress the red gum lerp psyllid, a biological control program was initiated and a psyllid-specific parasitic wasp was imported from Australia in 1999 and released in 2000. In most coastal regions this biological control agent has provided substantial control, but in some interior regions the psyllid still remains a problem. Researchers are continuing their investigations to determine if full statewide suppression will be realized eventually, or if further importation of new parasitoid species is needed. Fig. 4. Percentage of large lerps with parasitoid emergence exit holes during fall survey, 2003 (Roltsch et al. 2004). California county borders demark the four regional sampling zones (except for the Central Valley).

High densities of the blue gum psyllid can inhibit new shoot formation, distort the shape of new foliage and despoil foliage with white flocculate secretions produced by the immature stages and black sooty molds that grow on the honeydew. 4 The blue gum psyllid was first found in a plantation of baby blue gum in Monterey County.

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