Response of Ground Beetles to a Reduced-Risk Insecticide Program in Blueberry Fields, and Potential for Post Predation
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Authors
Asteriou, Joseph R.
Issue Date
2004
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The change from broad spectrum pesticides to reduced risk programs has opened
new avenues of study in the field of agricultural entomology due to the desire to integrate
natural predators into pest control. Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) have
excellent potential to destroy pests that spend part of their life cycle on the ground, acting
as control agents in certain crops. The purpose of this study was to further investigate the seasonal abundance of these predators in Michigan blueberry fields subjected to grower standard (GSTD) or reduced risk pesticide programs (RR). III addition, the potential for the most abundant carabid, Harpaius pellsyivalliclIs, to act as a control agent was assessed in feeding trials with two prey types, blueberry maggot puparium (Rhagoietis melldax) and Japanese beetle eggs (Popillia japonica). This season, as in the last, Harpailus erraticus, as well as other late season carabids, responded to the RR pest management programs with increased numbers in August and September. However, this was not found to be statistically significant, likely due to high variability from farm to farm . Individuals of H. pellsylvanicus, a late season carabid, were observed to feed on Japanese beetle eggs (Popillia japonica) as well as blueberry maggot puparium (Rhagoielis mendax) in laboratory experiments, though with higher success on the soil surface versus buried below it. Further research must be done to determine this beetle's role as a possible pest predator as well as its interactions with other natural predators.
Description
v, 25 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.