Turning a Pest into a Natural Enemy: Removing Earwigs from Stone Fruit and Releasing Them in Pome Fruit Enhances Pest Control.

ABSTRACT: The European earwig Forficula auricularia (L.) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) is an omnivorous insect that is considered a minor pest of stone fruit and a key predator of pests in pome fruit orchards. In many pome fruit orchards, earwigs are absent or in low abundance due to broad-spectrum spray programs and the slow recolonization rate of earwigs. Orchards in transition to organic or "selective" conventional programs often struggle to achieve effective levels of biological control, and thus, may benefit from inoculating earwigs to expedite their re-establishment. In a two-year study, we evaluated the potential for mass trapping earwigs from stone fruit using rolled cardboard traps to reduce fruit damage and provide earwigs for augmentation in pome fruit. We also tested whether a single

SUBMITTER: Hanel A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10743910 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature