4 pp. / This publication will explain what fungus gnats are and how to manage them.

32 pp. / Bugs @ Home series; Revised / How to keep bugs out and reduce your utility costs!

3 pp. / A description of aphids, the damage they cause, their lifecycle, and management recommendations.

4 pp. / Bed bugs can cause anxiety, bite reactions, and financial hardship. The University of Arizona Community IPM Program and partnering research institutions are working to battle the recent bed bug resurgence. Researchers hope to determine the real social cost of bed bugs, as well as the significant causes of infestations. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach is the most likely strategy to result in successful elimination of bed bugs.

Biological and cultural control tactics are available for many agricultural pests but insecticides still play an important role in the rapid reduction of pest incidence when damage reaches economic levels. Laboratory and field toxicities of the reduced-risk products spinetoram and flubendiamide to Itame argillacearia (blueberry spanworm) was compared to deltamethrin, a conventional synthetic pyrethroid insecticide. In laboratory experiments, I. argillacearia larvae were highly susceptible to spinetoram and flubendiamide, and efficacy in the field was comparable to that of deltamethrin. Lethal and sublethal effects of the biopesticide formulations of Beauveria bassiana and Bacillus subtilis, and spirotetramat, a new tetramic acid insecticide, to bumble bees, Bombus impatiens, were also assessed. When ingested, field rates of spirotetramat caused high mortality after a week, and B. subtilis significantly reduced drone production. Field rates of spirotetramat, when applied topically, reduced drone production, but drone production varied following topical treatments of either biopesticide.

12 pp. / Mosquitoes are the most important insect pests that affect the health and well-being of humans and domestic animals worldwide. They can cause a variety of health problems due to their ability to transfer (vector) viruses and other disease-causing pathogens, including in the arid Southwest U.S. This publication describes the mosquito life-cycle, introduces common pest mosquito species and the diseases associated with them. Mosquito management for residents is covered.

Concerns about the harmful effects of pesticides on the environment, human health, and wildlife have led to research and promotion of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. Recently, an IPM program was introduced in the Albanian olive sector through the USAID-funded global IPM-CRSP project to develop improved olive IPM technologies. This study develops and applies a protocol for integrated economic impact assessment of olive pest management strategies designed by the IPM-CRSP project in Albania. The main components of the integrated approach for economic impact assessment of olive IPM include (i) net return analysis for measuring farm level impacts; (ii) economic surplus modeling for measuring market-level impacts; and (iii) modeling of IPM adoption under output uncertainty. The economic surplus equilibrium displacement model developed for the Albanian olive market with no international trade accounts for IPM research-induced supply shifts, increased demand due to quality improvement, and research-induced spillovers to non-target zones. The main sources of data for performing partial budgeting and economic surplus analysis were: (i) an expert survey; (ii) partial budgets compiled based on a farmer survey and expenditure records from field-level experiments; and (iii) data collected at the market level. The data used to estimate the dichotomous logit model came from a 1999 survey of 200 growers and a survey of 120 growers carried out in 2000 in the Vlora district of Albania. The net return analysis indicates that compared to conventional practices, the proposed olive IPM packages generally promise higher yields, improved quality of olive products, lower pesticide use, and higher net returns to producers. However, adoption of some of the IPM practices implied higher production costs. Based on the simulation results, the Albanian olive industry has the potential to derive a net IPM research benefit between $39 million (assuming that farmers move directly from minimum spraying to IPM) and $52 million (assuming that farmers move from full pesticide program to IPM) over the next 30 years. Farmers' reliance on pesticide use on olives and other crops does not seem to hinder IPM adoption. Grower perceptions and the process of expectation formation significantly influence adoption decisions. Addressing the process of expectation formation and changing these perceptions by educational programs and better access to information will encourage IPM adoption. / Ph. D.

Concern about externalities associated with pesticide use in developing countries has motivated the development of integrated pest management (IPM) programs in these areas. In the Philippines, the IPM Collaborative Research Support Program (IPM CRSP) was established to specifically address the widespread misuse of pesticides in the rice-vegetable systems of Nueva Ecija, one of the major rice and onion producing regions in the country. IPM CRSP initiatives include research on the optimal use of pesticides, complementary weed control strategies, and alternative cultural and biological controls. If successful, the program should generate benefits that can be measured in economic terms. These benefits include improvements in water quality, food safety, pesticide applicator safety, and long run sustainability of pest management systems. This study was designed to measure the health and environmental benefits of the IPM CRSP in the Philippines. A survey questionnaire was administered to 176 onion farmers in five villages in Nueva Ecija to identify farm and farmer characteristics, pesticide usage, pest management practices, perceptions about pesticide hazards, awareness of IPM strategies, and willingness to adopt specific technologies being developed under the IPM CRSP. In addition, a contingent valuation survey was used to elicit farmers' willingness-to-pay to avoid risks posed by pesticides to different environmental categories. A comprehensive economic measure of the benefits of IPM CRSP was derived by 1) assessing the hazards associated with pesticide usage, 2) providing an ex ante measure of program impacts on pesticide usage, 3) predicting IPM adoption rates, and 4) estimating society's willingness-to-pay to avoid the health and environmental risks from pesticides under Philippine conditions. A measure of the amount of risks avoided as a result of IPM CRSP adoption was combined with farmers' willingness to pay bids for risk avoidance to derive a monetary value of the program benefits. The estimated economic benefits of the IPM CRSP to farmer residents in 5 villages in Nueva Ecija amount to 230,912.00 pesos for one onion season. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study is to assist planners and scientists in assessing the economic implications of the USAID-funded Integrated Pest Management-Collaborative Research Support Program (IPM CRSP) research activities. The study presents a framework and a set of procedures for documenting, evaluating and communicating aggregate economic impacts of IPM technologies within targeted areas and across agro-ecological regions. Performing an economic impact assessment involves consideration of many factors, from the adoption patterns of IPM technologies to the level of benefits and costs producers and consumers can reap from their adoption. Adopting the framework and procedures outlined in this study will help ensure that economic benefits of IPM CRSP activities are consistently and comprehensively evaluated and documented. The assessment process involves identifying and defining alternative pest management strategies, data and information collection, and analytical procedures. Two case studies are carried out to demonstrate the functionality and practical nature of the framework. Partial budgeting and ex-ante economic surplus analysis are employed to estimate the aggregate benefits of IPM CRSP strategies in Bangladesh and Uganda. In Bangladesh, an altered schedule of hand weeding in cabbage production and Neem leaf powder as an insecticide for eggplants were selected for assessment. In Uganda, the maize variety Longe-1 and seed dressing with Endosulfan for management of bean fly and root rot on beans, are evaluated. Also, a Geographic Information System (GIS) is used to project the transferability of IPM CRSP strategies beyond the primary sites. Data on production, consumption, prices, price elasticities for demand and supply, and experiment costs are gathered and refined to derive aggregate benefits for each country. Expert questionnaires were developed to determine adoption rates, and to elicit information about yield and cost changes due to the adoption of these technologies. Agro-ecological and socio-economic data were collected to facilitate the spatial framework and examine adoption rate patterns. The GIS analysis gives insight into the spatial dimension of economic analysis and complements the effort of the IPM CRSP to globalize its activities. The research findings show that the IPM practices investigated gave a substantial amount of benefits discounted over thirty years to both consumers and producers. This study has shown that IPM CRSP-induced pest management practices in Bangladesh and Uganda are viable and more profitable production practices than existing farmer practices. Efforts to promote the adoption of these technologies will likely result in more efficient production and greater economic rewards for the farmers, consumers, and in turn for the country as a whole. Finally, the study presents recommendations for further research relating to gender and cross-border trade issues to strengthen the functionality of the framework. / Master of Science

The effective dispersal ability of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma ostriniae Pang and Chen was assessed in potato fields on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in spring 2005 and 2006. Approximately 0.5 million T. ostriniae were released from a central release point in separate potato fields. Dispersal was monitored using yellow sticky card traps and European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hübner, egg mass sentinels. Adult T. ostriniae dispersed quickly throughout the 0.4 ha (1 acre) sampling area. Parasitism and sticky card captures were highest close to the release point and decreased with increasing distance. Sticky card data were a good fit to the diffusion model used (r² > 0.90) for all but two sampling dates. In 2005 parasitization peaked at 4 days post release with close to 40% of sentinels parasitized at 30m from the release point. The mean distance encompassing 98% (x98) of T. ostriniae for both fields in 2005 was 27.5 (± 2.4) meters. For fields 1 and 2 in 2005, x98 for parasitism was 21 and 26 meters, respectively. In 2006 sticky card data fit the dispersal model moderately well (r² > 0.77) except for two sampling dates and dispersal was generally lower. The mean x98 value for sticky card data was 12.9 (± 0.9) meters. For parasitism, the x98 distances for field 1 and 2 were estimated at 8 and 10 meters, respectively. Correlation analysis showed no significant difference in the distributions between sticky card captures and sentinel egg mass parasitism. In 2006, T. ostriniae were released in small pepper plots in Pennsylvania, Maryland and two locations in Virginia to evaluate the number of wasps needed per plant for effective control of European corn borer. Treatments included 0, 5, 20 and 50 wasps per plant. In each plot, parasitism was measured using 30 sentinel egg masses collected on 3 and 6 days post release. Parasitism was relatively low in Pennsylvania and Virginia and no significant effect from release density was observed. High rates of parasitization in the untreated control plot were observed in Maryland as well as one of the Virginia locations. Overall results show results show ambiguity in the data and high levels of natural parasitism occurring on Ephestia eggs sentinels. In 2005 and 2006, several insecticides were evaluated for controlling O. nubilalis and impacting arthropod natural enemies in bell pepper. In addition, we compared the effectiveness of an integrated pest management program based around inundative releases of T. ostriniae to a conventional insecticide-based program for O. nubilalis control in multiple locations in the Mid- Atlantic US. To evaluate the insecticides, small plots of bell pepper were established at four locations in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Insecticides were applied weekly from first fruit until final harvest (5 to 7 applications). Results indicated that the biorational insecticides, spinosad, indoxacarb, and methoxyfenozide provided comparable control of O. nubilalis as the broadspectrum conventional insecticides, acephate, and lambda-cyhalothrin. At most locations, multiple sprays of lambda-cyhalothrin resulted in flares (outbreaks) of green peach aphids most likely from destruction of arthropod natural enemies. Indoxacarb also caused a similar aphid flare at one of the locations. For the IPM demonstration experiment, pepper plots were established at 5 locations in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. in 2005 and 2006. Treatments included: "conventional", which involved weekly applications of acephate or lambda-cyhalothrin from first fruit until final harvest; 2) "IPM", which included three or four inundative releases of T. ostriniae and a judicial application of methoxyfenozide only if lepidopteran pests exceeded action thresholds; and 3) an untreated control. No significant treatment effect was found in either year on cumulative number of marketable fruit or percentage of fruit damaged by lepidopteran pests. A significant treatment effect was found on peak numbers of green peach aphids, with the conventional insecticide approach causing aphid flares and the untreated control or IPM approach not having aphid pest problems. Inundative releases of T. ostriniae may be a more environmentally-sound approach to managing O. nubilalis in peppers, although a comparison with conventional insecticides under greater lepidopteran pest pressure is still needed. / Master of Science in Life Sciences