Community Composition of Predatory Hybotidae (Diptera: Empidoidea) in Winter Wheat Management Systems.

ABSTRACT: Fast-running flies (Diptera: Hybotidae) play an important role as predators in agricultural landscapes. This semi-field study examined the effects of pesticides on Hybotidae communities and their role in natural pest control in three winter wheat management systems (organic, conventional, and hybrid (no chemical synthetic pesticides with optimized use of nitrogen fertilizers)) in Brandenburg, Germany. To evaluate the impact of management practices, sweep netting and eclector trapping were carried out over three years (2020-2022) at the plot scale. Hybotidae abundance fluctuated across the management systems and collection methods, with no consistent trend linked to pesticide use. However, an increase in the abundance of Hybotidae in 2022, especially in eclector trapping, indicated that yea

SUBMITTER: Gitzel J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12733983 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature