Walnut husk fly (WHF), Rhagoletis completa (Cresson), is a key pest of walnuts in California. WHF larvae feed within the husk, and the pupae remain in the soil for extended periods, making these stages difficult to target with insecticides. Hence, WHF control relies on insecticide application targeting adult flies during summer once adults begin to emerge from the soil. Insecticide application and timing decisions for this pest are based on fly capture in monitoring traps, making effective trapping crucial for successful WHF management. Currently, guidelines on WHF monitoring recommend placing ammonium carbonate-based WHF traps in orchard hotspots and high in the tree canopy. However, it is unclear if higher trap placement improves captures across different population levels and orchard conditions. Additionally, new male produced pheromone-based lures have become available commercially for WHF monitoring. However, it is unknown whether the placement height of these pheromone lure-based traps affects the fly captures. This study evaluated the effect of lure type and trap height on WHF captures in walnut orchards. The findings of the research and their implications for walnut husk fly management are discussed.
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