The enemy of my enemy is my friend: A comparison of monitoring techniques for pear psylla natural enemies in Hood River pear orchards

Pear psylla (Cacopsylla pyricola) is a key insect pest for pear growers in the United States. Honeydew produced during nymphal feeding causes black sooty mold, which leads to fruit russeting. If not controlled, pear psylla can cause significant economic damage for growers. Pesticide costs can be as high as $2400 per acre, with many tools being lost to resistance. Integrated pest management and reliance on biological controls has been shown to be an effective alternative to conventional spray programs. Measuring natural enemy abundance has been a bottleneck to wider adoption of biological control. The standard beat tray sampling method is time consuming and often under samples many important adult insect predators. A new monitoring trap composed of a yellow sticky card baited with acetic acid, methyl salicylate, 2-phenylethanol, and pheylacetaldehyde has been shown to effectively capture a dozen natural enemies. Here we compare conventional beat tray sampling with a novel new lure-baited trap for measuring natural enemies of pear psylla.