The azalea lace bug (Stephanitis pyrioides Scott) is a recently detected invasive pest to the Pacific Northwest and has become a major concern in Oregon. It feeds on azaleas as well as rhododendrons causing stippling on the top side of leaves. The damage is aesthetically displeasing and affects plant vigor...
Drosophila suzukii is a global and economically significant pest of berries and other soft fruits. This insect can survive and reproduce under a wide variety of environmental conditions and with a substantial number of cultivated and wild hosts. Management of D. suzukii is commonly done with chemical control strategies. However,...
Halyomorpha halys Stål, brown marmorated stink bug or BMSB, is now present in 43 US states. A native of eastern Asia, this pest can feed on ~200 different plant species damaging bark, leaves, buds, stems, and fruits. Many of these plant species include wild plants, ornamentals, and agricultural crops. BMSB...
In recent years, red raspberry production in Washington and British Columbia has been severely limited by a newly emerged virus complex that causes symptoms of crumbly fruit. The complex is comprised of three viruses: Raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV), Raspberry leaf mottle virus (RLMV) and Raspberry latent virus (RpLV). Both...
The azalea lace bug (Stephanitis pyrioides Scott) is a global pest of rhododendrons and azaleas (Rhododendron spp.). It is originally from Asia, has been established in the eastern U.S. for the past century, and was recently detected in the Pacific Northwest in 2008-2009. Stephanitis pyrioides feeds on the underside of...
Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), a pest of thin-skinned fruits, has been detected worldwide recently, with new locations of establishment determined annually since it first became a concern on continental North America in 2008. Drosophila suzukii females are different from most other drosophilids as being one of two known species capable...
The western spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata
undecimpunctata) and the western striped cucumber beetle (Acalymma trivittatum) are
pests of many crops, including vegetable, fruit, and nursery crops. Pesticides are
commonly used to control this pest. Trap and kill technologies are under development as
use in an alternative control for cucumber...
The entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana are commercially available as microbial control agents for the black vine weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), the key root-feeding insect pest in Pacific Northwest small fruits and ornamentals. Understanding habitat selection is critical to improve the efficacy, persistence and cost of...
With confirmation of non-nutritive sugar, erythritol, having insecticidal properties to Dipterans, this thesis research focuses on use of erythritol as a human-safe management tool for small berry and cherry pest, Drosophila suzukii, commonly referred to as spotted-wing drosophila. Drosophila suzukii is a destructive invasive fruit fly from Asia with an...
The seismic response of deep deposits of liquefiable and cyclic-softening susceptible soils has presented the geotechnical profession with significant engineering challenges. Strong ground motions may serve to soften soils under cyclic shear, trigger liquefaction, and produce damaging displacements as a consequence. This study improves the understanding of the in-situ, nonlinear,...