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PROJECT LEADERS: Greg English-Loeb
and Rebecca Loughner, Dept. of Entomology, NYSAES, Geneva, NY 14456
Abstract
Strawberry sap
beetle is ranked by New York strawberry growers as the most serious
insect pest in strawberries. The beetle is a generalist herbivore
and has been captured on various crops other than strawberry. Adults
are thought to overwinter primarily in wooded areas surrounding strawberry
fields. The purpose of the this project was to identify food sources
that SSB can use as alternate hosts, determine if SSB overwinter within
strawberry fields to any significant extent, and develop a mark and
recapture technique that can be used to quantify SSB movement between
crops in the field. Female SSB oviposited while feeding on all of
the 8 food sources offered, although initial oviposition occurred
approximately 6 days later with apple compared to the other food sources.
It seems that all foods provided are suitable for SSB reproduction
to occur. SSB were caught in traps in woods bordering strawberry fields
about 1.5 weeks earlier than in the strawberries and a steady progression
of beetles from the woods into the fields was seen in at least two
of the fields, indicating that most beetles do not overwinter in the
strawberry field. Fluorescent resin marks remained visible on the
adult beetles for at least 24 h after marking, making the technique
a viable option for quantifying SSB movement in the field over short
periods of time. The availability of a mark and recapture technique
will allow investigation of the impact of alternate food sources in
the field on SSB population dynamics in future field seasons.
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