This document summarizes a multi-year, multi-industry research project on developing an integrated pest management approach for fruitspotting bugs. The project involves collaborators from several universities and government agencies working on components such as evaluating new chemical controls, developing monitoring and trap cropping using pheromones, mass rearing and evaluating biological control agents, developing farm-level and regional IPM case studies, and conducting industry adoption activities. The goal is to combine tools to achieve sustainable fruitspotting bug control through improved understanding of their ecology. The project has funding support from several horticultural industries and government partners.

1. A multi target approach to fruitspotting bug
management
Dr. Ruth Huwer and Craig Maddox , NSW DPI

2. A multi target approach to fruitspotting
bug management
 Fruitspotting bugs – Amblypelta
spp. are the most significant
pest problem for Australian
horticulture after fruit fly
 This project is a multi industry
effort
 It took a long time to pull
industries together to support a
major collaborative and multi
targeted research project.

3. Fruitspotting bugs (FSB) Amblypelta spp.
 Amblypelta spp.
– Belong to the family Coreidae (squash bugs)
 There are a number of closely related bug species
Pseudotheraptus wayi Amblypelta nitida Paradasynus spinosus Dasynus sp.
– Amblypelta spp. (15) (Australia, PNG, New Hebrides, Solomon Is.)
– Dasynus piperis (Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia)
– Dasynus coccocintus (Taiwan, Philippines)
– Paradasynus rostratus (India)
– Paradasynus spinosus (Japan)
– Pseudotheraptus wayi (East Africa including Kenya,Tanzania,
Zanzibar, South Africa)
– Pseudotheraptus devestans (Africa)

4. Amblypelta nitida and A. l. lutescens
 Wide host range
 Major pest in subtropical and tropical horticulture in
Australia
 Lifecycle from egg to adult about 6 weeks
 Adults are long lived
Amblypelta nitida Amblypelta lutescens

5. FSB feeding habits and damage
 Amblypelta nitida feeds exclusively on fruit while A.
lutescens is also a shoot feeder
 Feeding by FSB nymphs and adults
 Feeding sites are entry points for pathogens
 Low bug density can cause major damage
L= tip of labium
SH = stylet sheath
P = phloem sieve tube
From Miles & Taylor, 1994

6. Losses
 Overall losses difficult to quantify
– Crop losses of more than 50% have been
attributed to FSB,
– Estimated to be in the order of tens of millions A
$$$ annually.
 The Australian Macadamia Industry reports
the economic impact of FSB is estimated at
$8.9 million per annum,

7. Project components
 Collation of past research
 Chemical control options
 Development of monitoring and trap cropping
– Trap crops
– Pheromones
 Biological control options
 IPM case studies
 Area Wide Management (AWM)
 Industry Adoption

8. Collation of past research
Responsibility: Alana Danne (PhD student (University of Queensland)
 Collation of past research and management
practices of FSB and relatives
Chemical control
Responsibility: Ruth Huwer and Craig Maddox (NSW DPI)
 New compounds from chemical industry
 Biopesticides need to be considered

9. Monitoring and trap cropping
1. Trap cropping
Responsibility: Ruth Huwer and Craig Maddox (NSW DPI)
 Monitoring FSB has been a challenge
 FSB are known to show host preference
 Developing a new monitoring strategy by using
trap crops

10. Monitoring in flower hedge at CTH
Murraya paniculata Floral sequence hedge
hedges
Date
Arboretum Highway Avocado Macadamia Guava Longan Murraya
cv L64
Jul 2011 44 32 0 0 0 0 6
Aug 2011 35 60 0 1 0 0 3
Sep 2011 14 60 0 0 0 0 10
Oct 2011 20 34 2 1 0 0 4
Nov 2011 19 40 5 7 0 0 5
Dec 2011 21 3 0 4 0 0 0
Jan 2012 0 0 0 2 0 3 0
Feb 2012 2 1 0 0 1 3 1
Mar 2012 42 2 0 0 1 2 2
Apr 2012 88 27 0 2 0 0 8
May 2012 30 40 0 0 0 0 6
Jun 2012 40 34 0 1 0 0 2

11. FSB
preference
for
Macadamia
ternifolia

12. Evidence
Spatial distribution of FSB in Germplasm block in 2010 over
time (Total 618 trees)
Nov 2010 Dec 2010 Jan 2011 Feb 2011
before 1st spray before 1st spray after 1st spray after 2nd spray

13. Evidence (cont.)
Incidence of FSB in Germplasm block in 2010
Macadamia Macadamia Macadamia ternifolia Mixed hybrid
Maca- tetraphylla (n=188) integrifolia (n=162) (n=30) (uncertain) (n=266)
damia
species Trees Trees Trees Trees
Total % of Total % of Total % of Total % of
with with with with
FSB FSB FSB FSB FSB FSB FSB FSB
FSB FSB FSB FSB
17/08/
2010
1 1 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
23/11/
2010
5 5 22 0 0 0 8 16 70 1 2 9
9/12/
2010
8 11 14 1 2 2 12 50 62 12 18 22
7/01/*
2011
2 2 8 0 0 0 5 22 88 1 1 4
24/02/*
2011
3 3 7 3 1 2 5 32 78 3 2 5
3/03/
2011
1 2 6 2 9 25 6 22 63 2 2 6
*Reinfestation 3 weeks after beta-cyfluthrin spray

14. Evidence (cont.)
FSB damage in germplasm block 2010/2011
%FSB
Macadamia Trees Nuts Total KR
damage
species Sampled Examined Ave (sd)
Ave (sd)
M. tetraphylla 43 1311 11 (15) 32 (5.1)
M. integrifolia 54 1920 6.5 (8.9) 25 (4.3)
M. ternifolia 26 775 34 (21) 40 (8.2)
Mixed hybrid 13 391 4.2 (5.8) 30 (2.8)

15. Monitoring and trap cropping (cont.)
2. Pheromone traps
Responsibility: Harry Fay, (DAFFQ)
 Pheromone compounds for
Amblypelta spp. have been identified
and now need to be fine tuned and
tested.
 The following 4 aspects need to be
considered in this study:
– Adjustment of pheromone compounds
– Field evaluation of pheromones for both
Amblypelta spp.
– Design optimal trapping device
– Evaluate trapping device for both
Amblypelta spp. in the field in QLD and
NSW

16. Biological control (cont.)
1. Mass-rearing for FSB and Anastatus
and release strategies
Responsibility: Richard Llewellyn (BioResources)
 Mass-rearing of fruitspotting bugs for testing and
rearing of biological control agents
 Mass-rearing of biological control agents
 Release strategies
 Evaluation of biological control agents in QLD and
NSW.
Photos: Richard Llewellyn

17. Biological control
2. Ecology and initial evaluation of
various biological control agents
Responsibility: Ruth Huwer and Craig Maddox (NSW DPI)
Trichopoda
 Searching for biological control agents in giacomellii
QLD and NSW
 Ecology of biological control agents if Anastatus sp.
unknown (including live-cycle, investigation
of flora of their environment). Gryon sp.
 Evaluation of biological control agents in
QLD and NSW
 PhD project Alana Danne will cover Centrodora
darwini
aspects of biological control including
impact of cover crops

18. Biological control - Ecology
 Screening of a number of insecticides on Gryon sp.
and Anastatus sp.
 Screening Gryon sp. for cold storage
 Screening Gryon sp. in insecticides field trial on
commercial farm at Alstonville
 Quantifying impact of biological control agent is
difficult

19. IPM case studies
Responsibility: Pest consultants and Jeremy Bright (NSW DPI)
 Case studies on commercial farms will be
established at a later stage of the project (possibly
for year 3)
Area Wide Management (AWM)
Responsibility: Consultants
 The new developed control strategies will be
integrated and tested at farm level and regionally
via an Area Wide Management (AWM) approach
(possibly year 4).

20. Industry Adoption
Responsibility Mark Hickey (NSW DPI)
 Adoption strategy and extension plan
 A communication plan has been developed
 Team includes DAFFQ and NSW DPI experts

21. Conclusion
 The ecology of FSB is
fairly complex
 A good understanding
of FSB ecology is
needed to achieve
sustainable control
– A number of tools need
to be combined to
maximise success of
control and adoption

22. Acknowledgements
I would like to thank
– all the funding industries
– all project members for their efforts
– all collaborators who have been helping us out
with on farm field sites
The project has been funded by R&D levies from the Avocado,
Macadamia, Lychee, Papaya, Passionfruit and Custard Apple industries,
with additional funding via the Across Industry Committee and matched by
the Australian Government through HAL. NSW Department of Primary
Industries (NSW DPI) and Queensland Department of Agriculture Forestry
and Fisheries (QDAFF) are also contributing in-kind funds to the project,
and NSW DPI is managing the project on behalf of all partners. Other
project partners include the University of Queensland, Australian Centre
for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and BioResources.