Use of Sticky Traps and Limb Jarring to Aid in Pest Management Decisions for Summer Populations of the Pear Psylla (Homoptera: Psyllidae) in Connecticut

Abstract

Effectiveness of Lightning Yellow sticky traps for monitoring summer populations of adult pear psylla, Psylla pyricola Foerster, was evaluated at three heights, three orientations, and in four quadrants of pear trees. Traps placed at a height of 1.2 to 1.8 m aboveground in the south quadrant of pear trees were more significantly correlated with pear psylla egg and nymph infestations than other trap positions tested. Vertically positioned traps captured significantly more pear psylla than horizontal traps. Trap captures from all orientations were significantly correlated with egg and nymph infestations. Relationships between trap and limb jarring counts of adults and infestations of eggs and nymphs were determined by regression analyses. Both adult monitoring methods were equally effective in predicting shoot infestations of eggs and nymphs. The action thresholds for either eggs or nymphs were very similar. Based on the nymph data, action thresholds of 4.4 to 6.9 pear psylla per trap per day or 1.0 to 1.2 per limb jar are suggested for adult monitoring.