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Scouting at key times in the seasonal development of insect pest populations, as guided by degree-day accumulation, is important for minimizing unwarranted insecticide application. Fields of small grains in northern Utah were censused weekly from 2001 to 2011, to assess infestation by the cereal leaf beetle, Oulema melanopus (L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), and develop degree-day guidelines for measuring cereal leaf beetle abundance at peak egg and larval densities in any given year. Even in years of high overall numbers of cereal leaf beetle, relatively few fields were heavily infested (with 20 or more cereal leaf beetle eggs + larvae per 0.09 m²) at either egg or larval peak density during the growing season. In individual fields, the number of immature cereal leaf beetle (eggs + larvae) at peak larval density was positively related to the number of immature cereal leaf beetles present earlier at peak egg density. Although there was large variation among years in when cereal leaf beetle egg and larval numbers peaked during the season as measured by degree-day accumulation from 1 January, much of this variation was accounted for by the warmth of the early spring before significant egg laying occurred. Hence, degree-day estimates that account for early spring warmth can guide growers in scouting grain fields at peak egg densities to identify fields at high risk of subsequent economic damage from cereal leaf beetle larval feeding. The relatively low incidence of fields heavily infested by cereal leaf beetle in northern Utah emphasizes the benefit that growers can gain by scouting early before applying insecticide treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field observations from pecan, Carya illinoinensi.s (Wangenh.) Koch, orchards in Texas were used to develop and validate a degree–day model of cumulative proportional adult flight and oviposition and date of first observed nut entry by larvae of the first summer generation of the pecan nut casebearer, Acrobasis nuxvorella Nuenzig (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). The model was initiated on the date of first sustained capture of adults in pheromone traps. Mean daily maximum and minimum temperatures were used to determine the sum of degree–days from onset to 99% moth flight and oviposition and the date on which first summer generation larvae were first observed penetrating pecan nuts. Cumulative proportional oviposition (y) was described by a modified Gompertz equation, y = 106.05 X exp(–(exp(3.11 0.00669 X (x 1)))), with x = cumulative degree–days at a base temperature of 3.33°C. Cumulative proportional moth flight (y) was modeled as y = 102.62 X exp(–(exp(1.49 0.00571 X (x 1)))). Model prediction error for dates of 10, 25, 50, 75, and 90% cumulative oviposition was 1.3 d and 83% of the predicted dates were within ± 2 d of the observed event. Prediction error for date of first observed nut entry was 2.2 d and 77% of model predictions were within ±2 d of the observed event. The model provides ample lead time for producers to implement orchard scouting to assess pecan nut casebearer infestations and to apply an insecticide if needed to prevent economic loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heat-driven phenology model used for initiating codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), management in Washington state was examined to determine the need for using the capture of the first moth as a method of synchronizing the model and phenology of field populations (=biofix). We examined trap catch data taken at 1-2-d intervals from two research orchards; one data set encompassed a 28-yr period and the other data set a 4-yr period. We also examined consultant-collected data taken at 7-10-d intervals from 15 sites (N = 81), mostly between 2001 and 2005. At the two research sites, we found the mean biofix occurred at 96 degree-days (DD) (DD Celsius by using 10°C lower threshold and 31.1°C horizontal upper threshold) after 1 January (SD = 14.4; mm. = 68, max = 122). After correcting for longer sampling intervals in the consultant data set, the biofix at the nonresearch sites occurred at 97 DD (N = 50, SD = 14.4; mi = 74, max = 120), nearly identical to that at the research sites. We also examined the performance of the codling moth model at predicting moth flight and egg hatch using a biofix and by just accumulating heat units from 1 January. The model performance was similar in both generations regardless of whether a biofix was used. The elimination of biofix simplifies management and eliminates mistakes associated with poor trap catch, particularly in low-pressure situations where mating disruption reduces trap efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]