In nature, insects use organic compounds called pheromones to communicate with each other, sending signals to help them attract a mate, send alarm signals or otherwise affect behaviour. Insect Science's focus is on developing responsible pest-management solutions for the monitoring and control of insects that cause damage to commercial crops, stored food such as grains, and pests found in the home and garden. We have spent over two decades researching insects and their behaviour in order to develop innovative products that imitate natural processes. As such, we are a leader in the development and manufacture of semiochemical* based products – an important building block of sustainable responsible pest management (RPM) strategies that form part of a broader integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. With the help of our targeted pest-management solutions, farmers and homeowners can produce environmentally safe crops and plants with zero harmful residues. Who is Insect Science? Insect Science® is a semiochemical company in South Africa where a young innovative team pursues responsible solutions to pest management.

1. Responsible Pest Management in
Nurseries, Present and Future
RedSun Hortitech – SAMAC-Approved Nursery
7 June 2022
Presentation by Dr Vernon Murray Steyn

2. Introduction
Source: Phillips McDougall Database

3. Introduction
Source: Phillips McDougall Database

4. Introduction
Source: Phillips McDougall Database

5. Introduction
Adapted from: Phillips McDougall Database
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Total
of
crop
protection
sales
(%)
Growth of Biological market

6. Introduction: The value chain
Adapted from:
ecosystemsunited.com
What is your responsibility?
• Provide healthy plants
• Prevent pests entering supply chain
• Stop spread of pests (hitch hikers)

7. RPM:

8. Understanding your pest

10. Understanding your pest
Kairomones
from fruit
How new attractants are identified

11. Understanding your pest

13. What?

14. Below soil
Prevent fertile eggs
Stop pupal maturity
Mating disruption
Mass trap
Attract and Kill
Insecticides
Predators
Parasitoids
Choose best control…
for each stage
EPNs
EPF
Stop larval maturity
- curative action
Pathogens

15. When?

16. Two different techniques:
1. Damage control
• Shorter program
• Decisions made during the season
• Potential for rapid population growth
• Not feasible for phytosanitary pest
2. Population control
• Preventative program
• Constant suppression of the population
• More expensive in the short term
• Plans for unknown (e.g. pressure from the outside block)
• Critical for phytosanitary pest
Insect Management

17. first cultivars
harvested
last cultivars
harvested
crop susceptible
to insect
Prevent
fertile eggs
Curative
Curative
Curative
Cumulative
number
of
insects
Damage control - example

18. Potential moth population
growth
Population control - example

19. Curative
Curative Curative
Prevent fertile
eggs
Crop
susceptible
to insect
Curative
Population control - example
Cumulative
number
of
insects
first cultivars
harvested
last cultivars
harvested

21. Lepidopteran pests:
Smaller Lepidoptera:
• False Codling moth
• Codling moth
• Oriental fruit moth
• Carob moth
• Pear leaf roller
• Macadamia nut borer
• Tuta absoluta
• Diamondback moth
Larger Lepidoptera:
• African Bollworm
• Fall Armyworm
• Lesser Armyworm
• Plusia Semi-Looper
• Tomato Semi-Looper
• Tomato moth
• Common cutworm etc.
Smaller Lepidoptera traps
Yellow Delta Trap®
Larger Lepidoptera trap
Yellow Bucket Funnel Trap®
Water trap
Traps for Moths
 Replace F.C.M. PheroLure every 24 weeks®
Monitoring

22. European Pepper Moth (Duponchelia fovealis)
• Known hitchhiker
• Historic pest in citrus nurseries, an emerging pest in blueberries and
flowers
• Girdling or ring-barking of young plants
• Globally big nursery pest, ± 38 plant families
• Crop damage to cucumbers, peppers, squash, tomatoes, and strawberries
• Life cycle ± 35-56 days
• Females lay ± 200 eggs (22 per day)
• Look out for webbing or tunnels
• Damage often overlooked, true loss not yet quantified
• Female lure developed
Carmelo Peter Bonsignore,
Figure 12. Damage to pepper (arrow points to burrowing hole) due to feeding by larvae of
the European pepper moth, Duponchelia fovealis (Zeller). Photograph by Marja van der
Straten, Plant Protection Service, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Late instar larvae can even burrow into soft woody or herbaceous plant stems causing more
damage (i.e. withered or dried crowns and stem collapse) (Ahern 2010, Bethke and Vander
Mey 2010, CABI 2010, Hoffman 2010, Anonymous 2005a, Anonymous 2005b, Murphy
2005, Pijnakker 2001, Romeijn 1996, Guda et al. 1988). The holes left by the boring of this
pest into the stem can facilitate infection by the fungus Botrytis cinerea (Guda et al. 1988).
Lyle Buss
Lyle Buss
Lyle Buss
Henk Stigter
Jim Bethke, Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside.

23. European Pepper Moth (Duponchelia fovealis)
Adapted from: Phillips McDougall Database
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
2022/03/22
2022/03/29
2022/04/05
2022/04/12
2022/04/19
2022/04/26
Total
number
of
European
Pepper
moths/week
(n
=
8)
Blueberry Males Blueberry Females Citrus Males Citrus Females
Robin Barfoot
Male Female
James Hayden

24. African Bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera)
• African bollworm is listed as an A2 quarantine pest by the EPPO
• Eats large tunnels through flower or fruit
• Globally big nursery pest, ± 180 plant species
• Extremely wide host range, including most vegetables, fruits and berries,
many ornamental plants, as well as many wild host plants
• Life cycle ± 8 weeks (larvae 4 weeks)
• Females lay ± 730 eggs
• Damage $2 billion per year globally
• Female lure developed
Lyle Buss
Genc. H. et al., 2017
Dreamstime.com

25. 20 traps / Ha are placed out for the control of A.B.W;
to be used in an RPM program
 Replace T.V. PheroLure every 24 weeks
 Replace A.B.W. PheroLure every 6 weeks
 Replace Dichlorvos Blocks every 6 weeks
80 – 90 % control
Compare BollwormEggs andLarvae between16 and20 Bucket Funnel
Traps / Ha vs Control
1.1
0.3
0.1
0.3
0.5
2.8
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
Control 16 Traps / Ha 20 Traps / Ha
Number
per
week
per
block
BollwormEggs BollwormLarve
80 – 90 % control
Mass trapping of A.B.W Helicoverpa armigera

26. Mass trapping of
Tuta absoluta

27. 0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Mean
number
of
Tuta
absoluta
per
trap/week
TrapAll 30 traps/HA Standard chemical control
Total pest population
Indoxacarb Emamectin
Pre-count
Indoxacarb
+ Chlorantraniliprole
Chlorantraniliprole

28. 0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.6
Pre-application Post-application
Total
fruit
damaged
per
plant
(n
=
24)
Fruit damage
1%
14%
0.4%
0.8%
97%
Standard chemical programme TrapAll T.A. 30 water traps/Ha
Standard chemical programme
Damage data per treatment per week

29. Fruit Fly pests:
Sensus trap:
• Ceratitis species
McPhail trap:
• Ceratitis species
• Bactorcera dorsalis
• Dacus species
Sensus trap: McPhail trap:
Traps for fruit flies
Traps for Fruit flies in field info
 Place 1 trap per tunnel
 Hang at 1.6 m height
 Replace E.G.O. PheroLure every 24 weeks
Monitoring

30. Fruit Flies
Tephritidae
5000 species
Drosophilidae
4000 species
https://fruitflykeys.africamuseum.be - Marc De Meyer
Taxonomy

31. How to ID Fruit flies

32. App available on
Apple and Android
Fruit flies

33. Fruit flies

34. • Zero tolerance of fruit flies (eggs and larvae) for export citrus
• Extremely mobile and move between cultivars/blocks/crops
• Extremely polyphagous (±260 hosts)
• Phytosanitary pest
• Life cycle ± 28 days (max 6 months)
• Females lays ± 800 eggs (22 per day)
• Loss when not controlled 80-100%
• True loss quantified via data trees (fruit damage/drop)
• Have to use a variety of tools to control
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tephritidae_Ceratitis_capitata,_male.jpg Ochando et al. 2011
The problem
Fruit flies: Ceratitis species

35. Stop mating
Below soil
Control at each stage of the lifecycle

36. Citrus releases essential oils that attract male
The mating system: Fruit fly

37. Males aggregate near fruit and form a lek…
then start to call
The mating system: Fruit fly

38. The mating system: Fruit fly
Calling male releases pheromone and attracts female

39. The mating system: Fruit fly
Mating ensues on lead close to fruit

40. The mating system: Fruit fly
Female finds oviposition site to lay eggs, under skin
Remember:
Fruit flies also use visual cues for mating success

41. Stop mating
Below soil
Control at each stage of life cycle
85%+
?%+
Insecticide
Parasitoids
Sanitation
Control
males & females

42. Last Call drop attracts
male, male touches it
and dies.
No chance to call for
female
Apply drop on branch or frame
of tree
Last Call F.F.
 Species specific –
doesn’t kill predators
 No MRL
 Waterproof – 100 %
 Easy application
 Lasts 4-6 weeks
Attract & Kill technology

43. Attract and Kill technology: Video

44. Yellow Sticky roll:
• Aphids
• Leaf miners
• Citrus thrips
• Fungus gnats
Blue Sticky roll:
• Western Flower Thrips
Yellow Sticky roll Blue Sticky roll
Yellow Sticky card
• Aphids
• Leaf miners
• Citrus thrips
Blue Sticky card:
• Western Flower Thrips
Yellow Sticky card Blue Sticky card
Scale card plastic
• Thrips
Aphid card
• Aphids
Aphid card Scale card plastic
No more sticky poles or wasted product
Traps of Insect Science
Aphids, Leaf miners and thrips

45. • Known hitchhiker
• Historic pest in citrus nurseries, an emerging pest
in macadamias, blueberries & flowers
• Thrips have piercing-sucking mouthparts
NOT scraping or chewing
Adapted from Thrips training
Elleunorah Allsopp & Muriel Knipe
Thysanoptera
Citrus and Western Flower Thrips

46. Western Flower Thrips
Target: Buds
Hide: Small crevices
Colour: Blue
Don’t have to go to soil, facultative soil stage
Citrus Thrips
Target: Young flush
Hide: Between leaves
Colour: Yellow
Tubulifera:
Horizontal stripes on wings
Predatory thrips - Not pests
Adapted from Thrips training: Elleunorah Allsopp & Muriel Knipe
Thrips

47. Y-shaped vein
1 pair wings
Agil Katumanyane
• Known hitchhiker
• Historic pests in nurseries
• Larvae destroy the root systems of many plants
EPNs viable option
Leanne Pundt Leanne Pundt
Leanne Pundt
Fungus Gnats

48. Asymmetrical yellow discoloration
Yellow shoots
standing out
from canopy
Florida
• 74% production decline since HLB in the US
• $1 billion per year was lost from 2012 to 2017
• Nearly 5000 jobs are lost annually
• Grove-bearing declined by 30% since 2005 to
2017
South Africa (potential 5 - 10 yrs)
• Estimated 70% of production at risk
• $48.7–$146.1 million annual
production loss
Citrus Psyllid (ACP)
Important vector of Huanglongbing (HLB) that causes greening

49. Asian Citrus Psyllid
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Sternorrhyncha
Family: Psyllidae
Genus: Diaphorina
Species: Diaphorina citri
African Citrus Psyllid
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Sternorrhyncha
Family: Triozidae
Genus: Trioza
Species: Trioza erytreae
Monitoring

50. Asian Citrus Psyllid African Citrus Psyllid
Monitoring

51. ACP Sticky roll
• Asian Citrus Psyllid
• African Citrus Psyllid
ACP Trap
• Asian Citrus Psyllid
• African Citrus Psyllid
Traps for Citrus Psyllid in field info:
 Place 1 trap per 2 Ha open field
 Nurseries must monitor, 1 trap per tunnel
 Replace every 2 weeks
Monitoring
Traps for Citrus Psyllid: Lime green

52. Take Home Message
Start every control program with monitoring
• Save money
• Identify pest
• Determine the amount of damage
• Evaluate if control is working
Responsible for choice of technology or control
• Apply control at each stage of the lifecycle
• Understand the biology of the pest
• Consider food web
• Consider market preference

53. Questions?
DrVernon M. Steyn: vernon@insectscience.co.za

54. Who is Insect Science?
Meet the team