Attraction of Apple Maggot Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) to Synthetic Fruit Volatile Compounds and Food Attractants in Michigan Apple Orchards

The apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), is a serious pest of apples in the United States, requiring reliable monitoring and control programs. Various synthetic apple volatile lures with and without protein hydrolysate, ammonium acetate, or ammonium carbonate were evaluated from 1998-2000 for their attractiveness to R. pomonella adults with red sticky-sphere (9 cm diam.) monitoring traps. A blend consisting of butyl butanoate (10%), propyl hexano- ate (4%), butyl hexanoate (37%), hexyl butanoate (44%), and pentyl hexanoate (5%) was the most effective lure tested for attracting both sexes of R. pomonella adults during all three field seasons. The addition of protein hydrolysate or ammonium compounds to spheres baited with a commercial attractant (BioLure) consisting of plastic dispensers containing butyl hexanoate, did not significantly increase apple maggot fly captures. Spheres baited with the blend or with butyl hexanoate in polyethylene vials and spheres baited with BioLure dispensers were highly selective in capturing R. pomonella flies relative to non-target insects. However, spheres baited with ammonium compounds with or without synthetic apple lures were non-selective with respect to apple maggot captures. Protein hydrolysate alone was ineffective for monitoring R. pomonella flies. We provide further evidence that baiting red-sticky sphere traps with the volatile blend without ammonium bait additives creates a highly effective and selective device for capturing apple maggot flies. The blend could be an important addition to current monitoring and control programs for apple maggot flies in Michigan orchards and other important apple growing regions

Attraction of Apple Maggot Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) to Synthetic Fruit Volatile Compounds and Food Attractants in Michigan Apple Orchards

The apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), is a serious pest of apples in the United States, requiring reliable monitoring and control programs. Various synthetic apple volatile lures with and without protein hydrolysate, ammonium acetate, or ammonium carbonate were evaluated from 1998-2000 for their attractiveness to R. pomonella adults with red sticky-sphere (9 cm diam.) monitoring traps. A blend consisting of butyl butanoate (10%), propyl hexano- ate (4%), butyl hexanoate (37%), hexyl butanoate (44%), and pentyl hexanoate (5%) was the most effective lure tested for attracting both sexes of R. pomonella adults during all three field seasons. The addition of protein hydrolysate or ammonium compounds to spheres baited with a commercial attractant (BioLure) consisting of plastic dispensers containing butyl hexanoate, did not significantly increase apple maggot fly captures. Spheres baited with the blend or with butyl hexanoate in polyethylene vials and spheres baited with BioLure dispensers were highly selective in capturing R. pomonella flies relative to non-target insects. However, spheres baited with ammonium compounds with or without synthetic apple lures were non-selective with respect to apple maggot captures. Protein hydrolysate alone was ineffective for monitoring R. pomonella flies. We provide further evidence that baiting red-sticky sphere traps with the volatile blend without ammonium bait additives creates a highly effective and selective device for capturing apple maggot flies. The blend could be an important addition to current monitoring and control programs for apple maggot flies in Michigan orchards and other important apple growing regions

A Plan for Economic Evaluation of Organic Blueberry Production in Georgia

Blueberry consumption is increasing across the United States. Georgia’s production value of conventional blueberries has exceeded that of peaches to reach a farm-gate value of $75 million. Demand for organic food products is increasing with United States gross sales at$16.9 billion in 2006. Economic feasibility of organic blueberries is uncertain creating risk in transitioning from conventional to organic production. The principal objective is to utilize field data to determine the costs of various production methods, by developing several enterprise budgets for each adopted technique., Crop Production/Industries,

Economics of Organic Blueberry Establishment in Georgia

Crop Production/Industries,

COVID-19-Associated Orphanhood and Caregiver Death in the United States

Background: Most COVID-19 deaths occur among adults, not children, and attention has focused on mitigating COVID-19 burden among adults. However, a tragic consequence of adult deaths is that high numbers of children might lose their parents and caregivers to COVID-19- associated deaths. Methods: We quantified COVID-19-associated caregiver loss and orphanhood in the US and for each state using fertility and excess and COVID-19 mortality data. We assessed burden and rates of COVID-19-associated orphanhood and deaths of custodial and co-residing grandparents, overall and by race/ethnicity. We further examined variations in COVID-19-associated orphanhood by race/ethnicity for each state. Results: We found that from April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, over 140,000 children in the US experienced the death of a parent or grandparent caregiver. The risk of such loss was 1.1 to 4.5 times higher among children of racial and ethnic minorities, compared to Non-Hispanic White children. The highest burden of COVID-19-associated death of parents and caregivers occurred in Southern border states for Hispanic children, Southeastern states for Black children, and in states with tribal areas for American Indian/Alaska Native populations. Conclusions: We found substantial disparities in distributions of COVID-19-associated death of parents and caregivers across racial and ethnic groups. Children losing caregivers to COVID-19 need care and safe, stable, and nurturing families with economic support, quality childcare and evidence-based parenting support programs. There is an urgent need to mount an evidence-based comprehensive response focused on those children at greatest risk, in the states most affected

COVID-19-associated orphanhood and caregiver death in the United States

Background: Most COVID-19 deaths occur among adults, not children, and attention has focused on mitigating COVID-19 burden among adults. However, a tragic consequence of adult deaths is that high numbers of children might lose their parents and caregivers to COVID-19-associated deaths. Methods: We quantified COVID-19-associated caregiver loss and orphanhood in the US and for each state using fertility and excess and COVID-19 mortality data. We assessed burden and rates of COVID-19-associated orphanhood and deaths of custodial and co-residing grandparents, overall and by race/ethnicity. We further examined variations in COVID-19-associated orphanhood by race/ethnicity for each state. Results: We found that from April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, over 140,000 children in the US experienced the death of a parent or grandparent caregiver. The risk of such loss was 1.1 to 4.5 times higher among children of racial and ethnic minorities, compared to Non-Hispanic White children. The highest burden of COVID-19-associated death of parents and caregivers occurred in Southern border states for Hispanic children, Southeastern states for Black children, and in states with tribal areas for American Indian/Alaska Native populations. Conclusions: We found substantial disparities in distributions of COVID-19-associated death of parents and caregivers across racial and ethnic groups. Children losing caregivers to COVID-19 need care and safe, stable, and nurturing families with economic support, quality childcare and evidence-based parenting support programs. There is an urgent need to mount an evidence-based comprehensive response focused on those children at greatest risk, in the states most affected

Drivers of success in implementing sustainable tourism policies in urban areas

The existing literature in the field of sustainable tourism highlights a number of barriers that impede the implementation of policies in this area. Yet, not many studies have so far considered the factors that would contribute to putting this concept into practice, and few address the case of urban areas. The concept of sustainability has only received limited attention in urban tourism research, even though large cities are recognised as one of the most important tourist destinations that attract vast numbers of visitors. Adopting a case study approach, this paper discusses a number of drivers of success identified by policy-makers in London to contribute to the implementation of sustainable tourisms policies at the local level, and briefly looks at the relationship between these drivers and the constraints perceived by the respondents to hinder the implementation of such policies in practice. These findings may help policy-makers in other large cities to successfully develop and implement policies towards sustainable development of tourism in their area

Exploring the future of tourism and quality of life

Few studies to date have examined the impact of tourism on quality of life (QoL) as conventional research has tended to focus, instead, on resident attitudes towards tourism and tourism ’s impacts in particular (Smith, 1977; 1989). Even less research has addressed whether tourism can drive or facilitate sustainable development (Miller and Twining-Ward, 2005) or whether tourism can contribute to the subjective wellbeing of those involved in travel and tourism. Impact studies generally ask residents to agree or disagree with statements regarding perceived impacts from tourism on their community. By contrast, QoL research aims to understand how these impacts are internalised and influence an individual’s overall life satisfaction (Andereck et al, 2007). With terms used interchangeably QoL, happiness and well-being refer to one’s satisfaction with life, and feelings of contentment or fulfilment with one’s experiences in the world (ibid.). Whether tourism as phenomena and practice may support the growing body of evidence that demonstrates a positive relationship between existential factors such as life purpose / meaning, personal growth and wellbeing (Vella-Brodrick, 2007) was the topic of intense debate during the 2008 Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel Education Network (BEST EN) Think Tank VIII

Visual ecology of aphids – a critical review on the role of colours in host finding

We review the rich literature on behavioural responses of aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) to stimuli of different colours. Only in one species there are adequate physiological data on spectral sensitivity to explain behaviour crisply in mechanistic terms. Because of the great interest in aphid responses to coloured targets from an evolutionary, ecological and applied perspective, there is a substantial need to expand these studies to more species of aphids, and to quantify spectral properties of stimuli rigorously. We show that aphid responses to colours, at least for some species, are likely based on a specific colour opponency mechanism, with positive input from the green domain of the spectrum and negative input from the blue and/or UV region. We further demonstrate that the usual yellow preference of aphids encountered in field experiments is not a true colour preference but involves additional brightness effects. We discuss the implications for agriculture and sensory ecology, with special respect to the recent debate on autumn leaf colouration. We illustrate that recent evolutionary theories concerning aphid–tree interactions imply far-reaching assumptions on aphid responses to colours that are not likely to hold. Finally we also discuss the implications for developing and optimising strategies of aphid control and monitoring