OCCURRENCE AND ACTIVITY OF GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) IN A PEST MANAGEMENT APPLE ORCHARD

Abstract

Abstract Pitfall trapping was carried out in a southern Ontario apple orchard for 3 years. The three commonest carabids collected were Harpalus affinis Schr., Pterostichus melanarius Ill., and Amara spp. Variation in activity was related to mean air temperatures in P . melanarius but not in the other two species. The use of pitfall traps in enclosures showed that none of the above species use flight as the principal means of locomotion. Immature H . affinis adults probably undergo a dispersal flight in July. Amara spp. and P . melanarius both fly within the orchard to some extent.