AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IS A BALANCING ACT. ON ONE SIDE IS SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION OF food and biobased products for a growing population. On the other is protecting our natural resources and the environment. The global decline of the honey bee, a major domestic pollinator of many crops, exemplifi es how complex the factors are that contribute to maintaining this balance. Overall bee colony decl...

The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus L.) known as both pest and predators; in the urban area, it is considered a because of its droppings, feathers, nests around house. Meanwhile, rural areas, pests predators their diets are small insects grains like grain rice field. This study aimed to determine daily consumption rate sparrows on grain; preferred food; identify adaptability; role areas....

Spiders are among the dominant invertebrate predators in agricultural systems and significant regulators of insect pests. The precise dynamics biocontrol pests field are, however, poorly understood. This study investigates how density-independent prey choice, taxonomy, life stage, sex, web characteristics affect spider diet biocontrol. We collected spiders four genera Linyphiidae (i.e., Bathyph...

Intra-guild predation (IGP) – where a top predator (IGPred) consumes both a basal resource and a competitor for that resource (IGPrey) – has become a fundamental part of understanding species interactions and community dynamics. IGP communities composed of intraguild predators and prey have been well studied; however, we know less about IGP communities composed of predators, pathogens, and reso...

Mosquitoes are serious biting pests and obligate vectors of many vertebrate pathogens. Their immature larval and pupal life stages are a common feature in most tropical and many temperate water bodies and often form a significant proportion of the biomass. Control strategies rely primarily on the use of larvicides and environmental modification to reduce recruitment and adulticides during perio...

1. Intensive agricultural practices drive biodiversity loss with potentially drastic consequences for ecosystem services. To advance conservation and production goals, agricultural practices should be compatible with biodiversity. Traditional or less intensive systems (i.e. with fewer agrochemicals, less mechanisation, more crop species) such as shaded coffee and cacao agroforests are highlight...

The growing demand for reducing chemical inputs in agriculture and increased resistance to insecticides have provided great impetus to the development of alternative forms of insect-pest control. Myco-biocontrol offers an attractive alternative to the use of chemical pesticides. Myco-biocontrol agents are naturally occurring organisms which are perceived as less damaging to the environment. The...

Organic lettuce, Lactuca sativa L., growers on the Central Coast of California rely on conservation biological control to manage Nasonovia ribisnigri Mosley (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and other aphid pests of lettuce. In 2006, we carried out five replicated field trials to determine the importance of syrphid larvae in the suppression of N. ribisnigri and other aphids infesting organic romaine lettu...