The European earwig (Forficula auricularia) is potentially a predator of a number of insect pests in apple orchards However its effectiveness as a natural enemy in apple orchards may be compromised by insecticide sprays A laboratory bioassay of eight insecticides currently used in Integrated Fruit Production (IFP) apple orchards and one asyet unregistered product was undertaken to determine their effects on earwigs Adult earwigs were placed in ventilated containers where they were exposed to insecticide residues on apple leaves and monitored on four occasions over 10 days Indoxacarb thiacloprid spinosad and diazinon caused the greatest mortality to earwigs while carbaryl appeared to be less harmful Chlorantraniliprole spirotetramat emamectin benzoate and methoxyfenozide caused no increased mortality of earwigs compared with the control Identification and avoidance of harmful insecticides may help to enhance the potential of earwigs as natural enemies in apple orchards

The phenology of apple leafcurling midge (ALCM Dasineura mali) and that of its parasitoid Platygaster demades was monitored in orchards over several years in the Nelson district There were 45 generations of ALCM the first two being distinct while the following generations tended to overlap Host and parasitoid populations were generally synchronized except for the second generation when parasitoid numbers were low and parasitism levels dropped Midge populations increased rapidly at this time and remained high in subsequent generations despite moderate levels of parasitism Laboratory studies on the effect of temperature on host and parasitoid pupal development rates combined with weather station data and actual soil temperatures were used to develop a model to predict generation timing Platygaster demades adults had a longer development period and emerged later than ALCM adults The influence of host and parasitoid phenology on parasitism levels and biological control of ALCM is discussed

No abstract

Field experiments to evaluate four different coloured sticky traps for monitoring beneficial insects were conducted on Braeburn apple blocks in four commercial orchards situated in the Motueka region Traps used were white yellow and blue Corflute sheets and a clear Mylar sheet all coated on one side with adhesive (Tactrap) The sticky traps were deployed between 27 February and 24 March 2006 Each colour sticky trap was hung vertically from a branch within the tree and traps were replaced and rerandomised two times during the trapping period Beneficial insects monitored included Aphelinus mali Platygaster demades Anagrus sp Stethorus bifidus and Encarsia spp Results indicated that yellow was the best trap colour for catching A mali Stethorus and Encarsia and a clear trap was best for Anagrus sp Trap colour did not have a significant impact on the catch of P demades

Bitter rot is an apple fruit disease most commonly caused in New Zealand by the fungus Colletotrichum acutatum. The timing of fungicide applications to manage this disease was investigated during two seasons. Fungicides applied during October (carbendazim), or November and December (tolyfluanid, captan and mancozeb), reduced incidence of rots expressing on trees in the orchard. Fungicides (half-strength copper oxychloride, Bacillus subtilis QST 713 and tolyfluanid) applied during January and February reduced the incidence of postharvest rots. Bacillus subtilis QST 713 applied regularly throughout the season reduced incidence of field rots, but was not effective when the number of applications was reduced. Calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) or copper oxychloride applied during November and December reduced the incidence of sprinkler rots caused by Phytophthora cactorum.