Monitoring Hover Flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in Apple Orchards: How Trapping Method Influences Measures of Abundance and Diversity
Faculty Mentor
Timothy Leslie
Major/Area of Research
Health Science, Natural and Life Sciences, Entomology
Description
INTRODUCTION: Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management (IPPM) in agriculture seeks to reduce pest populations while conserving beneficial arthropods and the ecosystem services they provide. Syrhid flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are a diverse and abundant family of flies that are highly valued in orchards due to their pollination services as adults and biological control of aphids as larvae. To evaluate the effectiveness of IPPM practices, reliable monitoring of insect populations is essential. In this study, we compared the efficiency of different passive monitoring techniques in characterizing various measures of syrphid diversity.
METHOD: Pan traps (blue, white, and yellow) and vane traps (blue and yellow) were deployed in six commercial apple orchards in Adams County, PA over two growing seasons. Syrphid flies were collected from traps on a weekly basis and identified to species level. Syrphid capture rates, species richness, and species assemblages were compared among trap types using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM), Rarefaction, and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) in R, respectively.
RESULTS: In total, 2619 hover flies comprising 35 species were collected. Yellow pan traps and blue vane traps were the most efficient at attracting hover flies in terms of both abundance and species richness. Species assemblages differed among trap types, with most species associated blue pan traps. However, some species were more commonly found in yellow pan traps. Blue and white pan traps and yellow vane traps were less efficient and largely redundant with other trap types.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Different passive monitoring techniques, in terms of trap type and color, greatly influenced how syrphid communities were characterized. While blue vane traps were the most efficient at capturing an abundant and diverse cross-section of the syrphid community, some species were more commonly found in yellow pan traps. These finding suggest the best approach for monitoring hover flies in orchard settings would include the use of both blue vane traps and yellow pan traps to maximize diversity and complementarity.
Monitoring Hover Flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in Apple Orchards: How Trapping Method Influences Measures of Abundance and Diversity
INTRODUCTION: Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management (IPPM) in agriculture seeks to reduce pest populations while conserving beneficial arthropods and the ecosystem services they provide. Syrhid flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are a diverse and abundant family of flies that are highly valued in orchards due to their pollination services as adults and biological control of aphids as larvae. To evaluate the effectiveness of IPPM practices, reliable monitoring of insect populations is essential. In this study, we compared the efficiency of different passive monitoring techniques in characterizing various measures of syrphid diversity.
METHOD: Pan traps (blue, white, and yellow) and vane traps (blue and yellow) were deployed in six commercial apple orchards in Adams County, PA over two growing seasons. Syrphid flies were collected from traps on a weekly basis and identified to species level. Syrphid capture rates, species richness, and species assemblages were compared among trap types using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM), Rarefaction, and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) in R, respectively.
RESULTS: In total, 2619 hover flies comprising 35 species were collected. Yellow pan traps and blue vane traps were the most efficient at attracting hover flies in terms of both abundance and species richness. Species assemblages differed among trap types, with most species associated blue pan traps. However, some species were more commonly found in yellow pan traps. Blue and white pan traps and yellow vane traps were less efficient and largely redundant with other trap types.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Different passive monitoring techniques, in terms of trap type and color, greatly influenced how syrphid communities were characterized. While blue vane traps were the most efficient at capturing an abundant and diverse cross-section of the syrphid community, some species were more commonly found in yellow pan traps. These finding suggest the best approach for monitoring hover flies in orchard settings would include the use of both blue vane traps and yellow pan traps to maximize diversity and complementarity.