Novel attract and kill strategies for control of UK fruit crop pests: PROBANDZ

在全球范围内，80%的商业软水果可能会因为一种入侵性果蝇——斑翼果蝇（SWD）造成的损害而作为废物损失。种植者依靠全田喷洒化学杀虫剂来保护水果免受SWD的侵害，成本为110亿英镑。最近，草莓种植者也记录到，蠼螋对草莓作物的危害发生率不断增加，在草莓作物的高峰时期，作物损失高达10-30%：目前尚无有效的措施来控制草莓作物中的这种昆虫，尽管蠼螋实际上对苹果园有益，它们以蚜虫等多种害虫为食。对苹果种植者来说，红苹果蚜虫（RAA）是造成重大产量和品质损失的主要害虫。春天，树上的蚂蚁会为蚜虫寻找蜜汁，这加剧了RAA的危害。这些蚂蚁保护它们宝贵的“蚜虫农场”免受食蚜蝇幼虫和瓢虫等多才多艺的昆虫捕食者的捕食。我们已经确定了一种由天然产品制成的诱饵（ProBandz），该诱饵是社署的食物，与低剂量的杀虫剂结合使用，可以控制这种害虫，使用的杀虫剂少于通常用于保护作物的杀虫剂的95%。在这个项目中，我们将测试我们的新诱饵ProBandz与低剂量的替代杀虫剂结合使用，从而降低SWD杀虫剂抗性的风险，同时降低果实中的残留物水平。我们会制定一套更有针对性和更少破坏环境的方法来管制社会福利署。在草莓作物中，我们将使用配制的诱饵和防逃逸陷阱相结合的方式来捕捉蠼螋。蠼螋之后可以作为害虫控制剂释放到苹果园，创造一种可持续的方法。为了实现对RAA的控制，我们将使用配方ProBandz将取食的蚂蚁从蚜虫群体中吸引出来，使蚜虫更容易受到天敌的攻击，从而减少蚜虫对果实的破坏。

Globally, 80% of commercial soft fruit can be lost as waste due to damage caused by an invasive fruit fly, spotted wing drosophila (SWD). Growers rely on full field sprays of chemical insecticides to protect fruit from SWD, costing £11bn. Recently strawberry growers have also recorded increasing incidence of damage from earwigs with crop losses of 10-30% at peak times in strawberry crops: currently there are no effective control measures for this insect in strawberry crops, even though earwigs are actually beneficial in apple orchards, feeding on a variety of insect pests such as aphids. For apple growers, rosy apple aphid (RAA) is a major pest causing significant yield and quality losses. RAA damage is exacerbated by the presence of ants in the trees in the spring which tend the aphids for their honeydew. These ants protect their valuable 'aphid farms' from predation by generalist insect predators like hoverfly larvae and ladybirds.We have identified a bait made from a natural product which SWD feeds on (ProBandz) and in combination with low doses of insecticide can be used to control this pest using less than 95% of insecticide that is normally sprayed to protect crops. In this project we will test our new bait, ProBandz, in combination with low doses of alternative insecticides, thereby reducing the risk of SWD insecticide resistance simultaneously reducing levels of residues in the fruit. We will develop a more targeted and less environmentally damaging approach to SWD control.In strawberry crops we will live trap earwigs using a combination of formulated bait and escape proof traps. Earwigs can be later released into apple orchards as a pest control agent creating a sustainable approach.To accomplish RAA control, we will use a formulated ProBandz to attract feeding ants away from the aphid colonies, making the aphids more vulnerable to attack from natural enemies, resulting in fewer aphid damaged fruits.