Entomology Program

• Development and implementation of methods for pear pest management in certified organic orchard systems.
• Mating disruption and microbial controls for major pest species.
• Conservation of natural enemies.

Funding: 

American Farmland Trust Grant,  “Continued Reduction of Organophosphates and the Implementation of an Organic Pest Control Program in Pear.” Co-PI’s were Richard Hilton, Phil VanBuskirk and David Sugar.

Other funding sources:

• Companies which produce and market certified organic control methods.
• Local tree fruit industry.

Impacts:

• Mating disruption is now used on over 50% of local pear acreage.
• A workable organic program has been developed and is being implemented on the 7 orchards which comprise 5% of the acreage.
• Certified organic insect control methods and tactics, such as mating disruption, codling moth granulosis virus and kaolin clay are increasingly adopted by conventional growers.
• A new monitoring tool for codling moth control is used on over 30% of pear acreage.