The woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) has been recognised for some years as

a serious pest in organic fruit growing where they may cause severe economic damage due

to a lack of control strategies. Based on preliminary results a new project has been started in

2007 testing combinations of releasing earwigs and oil applications in order to develop an onfarm

control strategy. In this paper we present preliminary results of the first year of the

project´s field trials. They showed good efficacies for applying oil preparations by brush. The

efficacy of releasing earwigs depended on the infestation intensity

Bathon, H.

Buchleither, S.

Fieger-Metag, N.

Toups, I.

Trautmann, M.

Zimmer, J.

English

Abstract

The woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) has been recognised for some years as a serious pest in organic fruit growing where they may cause severe economic damage due to a lack of control strategies. Based on preliminary results a new project has been started in 2007 testing combinations of releasing earwigs and oil applications in order to develop an on-farm control strategy. In this paper we present preliminary results of the first year of the project´s field trials. They showed good efficacies for applying oil preparations by brush. The efficacy of releasing earwigs depended on the infestation intensity

Toups, Ina

Zimmer, Jürgen

Trautmann, Martin

Fieger-Metag, Nicole

Buchleither, Sascha

Bathon, Horst

Organic Eprints

 Control of the woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) by releasing earwigs (Forficula auricularia L.) and support oil applications - an interim report of first year results  I. Toups1, J. Zimmer1, M. Trautmann2, N. Fieger-Metag,3, S. Buchleither4, H. Bathon5 1 Abstract The woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) has been recognised for some years as a serious pest in organic fruit growing where they may cause severe economic damage due to a lack of control strategies. Based on preliminary results a new project has been started in 2007 testing combinations of releasing earwigs and oil applications in order to develop an on-farm  control  strategy.  In  this  paper  we  present  preliminary  results  of  the  first  year  of  the project´s field trials. They showed good efficacies for applying oil preparations by brush. The efficacy of releasing earwigs depended on the infestation intensity.  Key words: woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) – earwig (Forficula auricularia L.) – oil application – feed damage  Introduction Several experiments trying to regulate the woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) by the parasite Aphelinus mali were performed in the last years but supplied no satisfying results for  a  practial  fruit  growing  strategy  (Hetebrügge  2006).  The  common  earwig  (Forficula auricularia) is endemic and widespread throughout Central Europe. It is a nocturnal omnivore feeding on animals and plant materials. Earwigs are therefore important natural antagonists of the woolly apple aphid, and they should be encouraged as beneficial organisms in organic orchards.  In  addition,  the  application  of  oil by  brushing  will  be  evaluated  as  a  supporting measure to retart woolly apple aphid population growth prior to the release of earwigs.  The  project  is  funded  by  the  Federal  Office  for  Agriculture  and  Food  (Bundesanstalt  für Landwirtschaft  und  Ernährung,  BLE)  within  the  “Bundesprogramm  ökologischer  Landbau” until the end of 2009 (Number of project: 06OE325).  The trials have been established in cooperation with several partners: At the “DLR Rheinpfalz, Kompetenzzentrum  für  Gartenbau”  in  Ahrweiler,  at  the  “Kompetenzzentrum  Ökoobstbau Niedersachsen” (KÖN) in cooperation with the “Ökoobstbau Norddeutschland Versuchs-und Beratungsring  e.V.”(ÖON)  in  Jork,  and  at  the  “Kompetenzzentrum  Obstbau  Bodensee” (KOB).  Additionally  round-robin  tests  in  practical  growing  situations  were  started  in  2007 under coordination of the “Beratungsdienst Ökologischer Obstbau”. The health states of the                                                  1 I. Toups and J. Zimmer, DLR Rheinpfalz, Kompetenzzentrum Gartenbau Ahrweiler, Walporzheimer Str. 48, D-53474 Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, ina.toups@dlr.rlp.de, juergen.zimmer@dlr.rlp.de 2 M. Trautmann, Kompetenzzentrum Obstbau Bavendorf, Schuhmacherhof 6, D-88213 Ravensburg-Bavendorf, trautmann@kob-bavendorf.de  3 N. Fieger-Metag, Öko-Obstbau Norddeutschland Versuchs- und Beratungsring e.V., Moorende 53, D-21635 Jork, nicole.fieger-metag@lwk-niedersachsen.de 4 S. Buchleither, Beratungsdienst Ökologischer Obstbau e.V., Schuhmacherhof 6, D-88213 Ravensburg-Bavendorf, buchleither@oekoobstbau.de 5 H. Bathon, Biologische Bundesanstalt Darmstadt, Institut für biologischen Pflanzenschutz, Heinrichstr. 243, D-64287 Darmstadt, h.bathon@bba.de   earwigs from all sites are examined in the laboratory of the “Biologische Bundesanstalt” (BBA) in Darmstadt.   Material and methods In three different orchards in Germany trials with five different variants have been established (Tab. 1). In variants 2 and 3 a defined number of earwigs which differed between the three sites depending on their availability were released in the orchards in June 2007 (Tab. 1). In variants 4 and 5 two different oil preparations, Promanal Neu and TS-forte, respectively, have been  applied  pure  by  brush  in  April  2007  (between  BBCH  57  -  65)  in  combination  with releasing the same number of earwigs as in variant 2 (Tab. 1). A brush whose bristles were cut in half to exploit also the mechanical effect was used to apply the oils. Rolls of corrugated boards (Ahrweiler, Altes Land) and coffee filters with wood wool (Bodensee) were hung into the trees and have been controlled after a few days to determine the earwig population before the release of new earwigs in the orchards. To offer attractive hideouts for the earwigs to outlast the days the rolls and coffee filters were left in the trees throughout the whole summer and were used to estimate the population monthly by counting the individuals in the hideouts. The  infestation  with  woolly  apple  aphid  colonies  has  also  been  determined  monthly  by investigate the infestation in cm² per tree. Shortly before harvest the apples from the different variants were tested for pollution by earwigs excrements and feed traces to detect possible economic damage done by the released earwigs in the orchards.  Table 1: Overview of variants and number of released earwigs in all sites, 2007     number of released earwigs variant ID  title  Ahrweiler  Altes Land  Bodensee 1  control  0  0  0 2  earwig 1  50  20  50 3  earwig 2  100  40  100 4  TS-forte + earwig 1  50  0  50 5  Promanal Neu + earwig 1  50  0  50  Results and Discussion First experiences from 2007 showed good success of the different hideouts for earwigs. The majority of released earwigs could be found in the hideouts at Ahrweiler (Fig. 1).  2737,4 39,15038,644,810072,959,85029,927036,141,450010203040506070809010018.06. 14.06. 12./16.07. 20./22.08number of earwigscontrol+ 50 earwigs+ 100 earwigsTS-forte + 50 earwigsPromanal + 50 earwigspopulation in the orchard before trialsnumber of released earwigsearwigpopulationsite: Ahrweileryear of experiment: 2007 Fig. 1: Population before trials, number of released earwigs and earwigs found in the hideouts after release in Ahrweiler, 2007  The  oil  application  reduced  the  woolly  apple  aphid  infestation  on  all  sites.  Efficacies (ABBOTT) were around 50 % for TS-forte and around 70 % for Promanal Neu in Ahrweiler (Fig. 2) and around 90 % for both preparations at Bodensee (Fig. 3). Until the end of June the woolly apple aphid colonies increased especially in the orchard in Ahrweiler to a massive infestation. Here a decreasing effect to the woolly apple aphid colonies by earwigs did not manifest in the orchard (Fig. 2). A single adult earwig may devour up to 130 aphids per night (Lohrer 2003). Despite of this high eating effort and although the main number of earwigs did not migrate the amount of released earwigs seemed not to be sufficient to control the massive infestation in Ahrweiler. At Bodensee the trees are younger and less voluminous and thus the woolly apple aphid infestation was less pronounced and an effect of the earwig predation as the single measure against to the woolly apple aphid colonies could be determined (Fig. 3). The efficacies (HENDERSON & TILTON) were 42 % and 52 % for 50 earwigs in variant 2 and 100 earwigs in variant 3, respectively.  26. Apr10. Jun 18. Jul28. Aug05010015020025030035040045050008.04.2007 28.04.2007 18.05.2007 07.06.2007 27.06.2007 17.07.2007 06.08.2007 26.08.2007 15.09.2007infestation [cm²]control+ 50 earwigs+ 100 earwigsTS-forte + 50earwigsPromanal +100 earwigsearwigs released on 14.06.2007woolly apple aphid infestation  [cm²]site: Ahrweileryear of trial 2007 Fig. 2: Woolly apple aphid infestation in the different variants at Ahrweiler, 2007 010203040506070809010008.05.07 18.05.07 28.05.07 07.06.07 17.06.07 27.06.07 07.07.07 17.07.07 27.07.07 06.08.07 16.08.07 26.08.07infestation [cm²]control+ 50 earwigs+ 100 earwigsTS-forte + 50earwigsPromanal + 100earwigswoolly apple aphid infestation [cm²]site: Bodenseeyear of trial  2007earwigs released on 21. and 29.06.2007 Fig. 3: Woolly apple aphid infestation in the different variants at Bodensee, 2007  Just a few number of apples were polluted by earwig excrements at Ahrweiler and Bodensee (Fig. 4). The amount of dirty apples at Altes Land was higher (Fig. 4) which may have been due to the cultivar Holsteiner Cox whose short stem apples build a attractive space system for earwigs hiding over the day. The apples with earwig feed damage always had other primary damage caused by reasons other than eating by earwig e.g. feed damage by mice or birds, deep entry of codling moth larva or bursted sunburn necrosis.  051015202530control earwig 1 earwig 2 Ts-forte + earwig 1 Promanal Neu +earwig 1apples with excrements [%]Ahrweiler Altes Land Bodenseeapples with excrements at harvestsites: Ahrweiler, Altes Land, Bodenseeyear of trial 2007 Fig. 4: Proportion of polluted apples at harvest in all sites, 2007  Outlook Based on the first year results the field experiments will be continued in 2008 and 2009 and expanded e.g. by a comparison of conventional oil application and application of oil by brush to  establish  a  profitable  on-farm  strategie  to  control the  wolly  apple aphid  in  organic  fruit growing. Earwigs overwinter in the ground, thus influence of ground management on earwigs should be determined, too. Further some detail trials will be established to investigate the influence of predator-prey-ratios between earwig and woolly apple aphid.  References Hetebrügge, K. (2006), Bekämpfung der Blutlaus durch Freilassung von Blutlauszehrwespen (Aphelinus mali) aus Massenzucht, BLE-Projekt 03OE524/1, Versuchsbericht 2006 Lohrer, T. (2003): Ohrwurm, Institut für Botanik und Pflanzenschutz,  www.fh-weihenstephan.de 

Control of the woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) by releasing earwigs (Forficula auricularia L.) and support oil applications - an interim report of first year results

203Control of the woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) by releasing earwigs (Forficula auricularia L.) and support oil applications - an interim report of first year results I. Toups1, J. Zimmer1, M. Trautmann2, N. Fieger-Metag,3, S. Buchleither4, H. Bathon51AbstractThe woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) has been recognised for some years as a serious pest in organic fruit growing where they may cause severe economic damage due to a lack of control strategies. Based on preliminary results a new project has been started in 2007 testing combinations of releasing earwigs and oil applications in order to develop an on-farm  control  strategy.  In  this  paper  we  present  preliminary  results  of  the  first  year  of  the project´s field trials. They showed good efficacies for applying oil preparations by brush. The efficacy of releasing earwigs depended on the infestation intensity. Keywords: woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) – earwig (Forficula auricularia L.)– oil application – feed damage Introduction Several experiments trying to regulate the woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) by the parasite Aphelinus mali were performed in the last years but supplied no satisfying results for  a  practial  fruit  growing  strategy  (Hetebrügge  2006).  The  common  earwig  (Forficula auricularia) is endemic and widespread throughout Central Europe. It is a nocturnal omnivore feeding on animals and plant materials. Earwigs are therefore important natural antagonists of the woolly apple aphid, and they should be encouraged as beneficial organisms in organic orchards.  In  addition,  the  application  of  oil by  brushing  will  be  evaluated  as  a  supporting measure to retart woolly apple aphid population growth prior to the release of earwigs.  The  project  is  funded  by  the  Federal  Office  for  Agriculture  and  Food  (Bundesanstalt  für Landwirtschaft  und  Ernährung,  BLE)  within  the  “Bundesprogramm  ökologischer  Landbau” until the end of 2009 (Number of project: 06OE325).  The trials have been established in cooperation with several partners: At the “DLR Rheinpfalz, Kompetenzzentrum  für  Gartenbau”  in  Ahrweiler,  at  the  “Kompetenzzentrum  Ökoobstbau Niedersachsen” (KÖN) in cooperation with the “Ökoobstbau Norddeutschland Versuchs-und Beratungsring  e.V.”(ÖON)  in  Jork,  and  at  the  “Kompetenzzentrum  Obstbau  Bodensee” (KOB). 1 I. Toups and J. Zimmer, DLR Rheinpfalz, Kompetenzzentrum Gartenbau Ahrweiler, Walporzheimer Str. 48, D-53474 Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, ina.toups@dlr.rlp.de, juergen.zimmer@dlr.rlp.de 2M. Trautmann, Kompetenzzentrum Obstbau Bavendorf, Schuhmacherhof 6, D-88213 Ravensburg-Bavendorf, trautmann@kob-bavendorf.de3N. Fieger-Metag, Öko-Obstbau Norddeutschland Versuchs- und Beratungsring e.V., Moorende 53, D-21635 Jork, nicole.fieger-metag@lwk-niedersachsen.de 4S. Buchleither, Beratungsdienst Ökologischer Obstbau e.V., Schuhmacherhof 6, D-88213 Ravensburg-Bavendorf, buchleither@oekoobstbau.de 5H. Bathon, Biologische Bundesanstalt Darmstadt, Institut für biologischen Pflanzenschutz, Heinrichstr. 243, D-64287 Darmstadt, h.bathon@bba.de Archived at http://orgprints.org/13677/204Additionally  round-robin  tests  in  practical  growing  situations  were  started  in  2007  under coordination of the “Beratungsdienst Ökologischer Obstbau”. The health states of the earwigs from  all  sites  are  examined  in  the  laboratory  of  the  “Biologische  Bundesanstalt”  (BBA)  in Darmstadt.  Material and methods In three different orchards in Germany trials with five different variants have been established (Tab. 1). In variants 2 and 3 a defined number of earwigs which differed between the three sites depending on their availability were released in the orchards in June 2007 (Tab. 1). In variants 4 and 5 two different oil preparations, Promanal Neu and TS-forte, respectively, have been  applied  pure  by  brush  in  April  2007  (between  BBCH  57  -  65)  in  combination  with releasing the same number of earwigs as in variant 2 (Tab. 1). A brush whose bristles were cut in half to exploit also the mechanical effect was used to apply the oils. Rolls of corrugated boards (Ahrweiler, Altes Land) and coffee filters with wood wool (Bodensee) were hung into the trees and have been controlled after a few days to determine the earwig population before the release of new earwigs in the orchards. To offer attractive hideouts for the earwigs to outlast the days the rolls and coffee filters were left in the trees throughout the whole summer and were used to estimate the population monthly by counting the individuals in the hideouts. The  infestation  with  woolly  apple  aphid  colonies  has  also  been  determined  monthly  by investigate the infestation in cm² per tree. Shortly before harvest the apples from the different variants were tested for pollution by earwigs excrements and feed traces to detect possible economic damage done by the released earwigs in the orchards. Table 1: Overview of variants and number of released earwigs in all sites, 2007 number of released earwigs variant ID  title  Ahrweiler  Altes Land  Bodensee 1  control  0  0  0 2  earwig 1  50  20  50 3  earwig 2  100  40  100 4  TS-forte + earwig 1  50  0  50 5  Promanal Neu + earwig 1  50  0  50 Results and Discussion First experiences from 2007 showed good success of the different hideouts for earwigs. The majority of released earwigs could be found in the hideouts at Ahrweiler (Fig. 1). Archived at http://orgprints.org/13677/2052737,4 39,15038,644,810072,959,85029,927036,141,450010203040506070809010018.06. 14.06. 12./16.07. 20./22.08number of earwigscontrol+ 50 earwigs+ 100 earwigsTS-forte + 50 earwigsPromanal + 50 earwigspopulation in the orchard before t i lnumber of released earwigsearwigpopulationsite: Ahrweileryear of experiment: 2007Fig. 1: Population before trials, number of released earwigs and earwigs found in the hideouts after release in Ahrweiler, 2007 The  oil  application  reduced  the  woolly  apple  aphid  infestation  on  all  sites.  Efficacies (ABBOTT) were around 50 % for TS-forte and around 70 % for Promanal Neu in Ahrweiler (Fig. 2) and around 90 % for both preparations at Bodensee (Fig. 3). Until the end of June the woolly apple aphid colonies increased especially in the orchard in Ahrweiler to a massive infestation. Here a decreasing effect to the woolly apple aphid colonies by earwigs did not manifest in the orchard (Fig. 2). A single adult earwig may devour up to 130 aphids per night (Lohrer 2003). Despite of this high eating effort and although the main number of earwigs did not migrate the amount of released earwigs seemed not to be sufficient to control the massive infestation in Ahrweiler. At Bodensee the trees are younger and less voluminous and thus the woolly apple aphid infestation was less pronounced and an effect of the earwig predation as the single measure against to the woolly apple aphid colonies could be determined (Fig. 3). The efficacies (HENDERSON & TILTON) were 42 % and 52 % for 50 earwigs in variant 2 and 100 earwigs in variant 3, respectively. Archived at http://orgprints.org/13677/20626. Apr10. Jun 18. Jul28. Aug05010015020025030035040045050008.04.2007 28.04.2007 18.05.2007 07.06.2007 27.06.2007 17.07.2007 06.08.2007 26.08.2007 15.09.2007infestation [cm²]control+ 50 earwigs+ 100 earwigsTS-forte + 50earwigsPromanal +100 earwigsearwigs released on 14.06.2007woolly apple aphid infestation  [cm²]site: Ahrweileryear of trial 2007Fig. 2: Woolly apple aphid infestation in the different variants at Ahrweiler, 2007 010203040506070809010008.05.07 18.05.07 28.05.07 07.06.07 17.06.07 27.06.07 07.07.07 17.07.07 27.07.07 06.08.07 16.08.07 26.08.07infestation [cm²]control+ 50 earwigs+ 100 earwigsTS-forte + 50earwigsPromanal + 100earwigswoolly apple aphid infestation [cm²]site: Bodenseeyear of trial  2007earwigs released on 21. and 29.06.2007Fig. 3: Woolly apple aphid infestation in the different variants at Bodensee, 2007 Archived at http://orgprints.org/13677/207Just a few number of apples were polluted by earwig excrements at Ahrweiler and Bodensee (Fig. 4). The amount of dirty apples at Altes Land was higher (Fig. 4) which may have been due to the cultivar Holsteiner Cox whose short stem apples build a attractive space system for earwigs hiding over the day. The apples with earwig feed damage always had other primary damage caused by reasons other than eating by earwig e.g. feed damage by mice or birds, deep entry of codling moth larva or bursted sunburn necrosis. 051015202530control earwig 1 earwig 2 Ts-forte + earwig 1 Promanal Neu +earwig 1apples with excrements [%]Ahrweiler Altes Land Bodenseeapples with excrements at harvestsites: Ahrweiler, Altes Land, Bodenseeyear of trial 2007Fig. 4: Proportion of polluted apples at harvest in all sites, 2007 Outlook Based on the first year results the field experiments will be continued in 2008 and 2009 and expanded e.g. by a comparison of conventional oil application and application of oil by brush to  establish  a  profitable  on-farm  strategie  to  control  the  wolly  apple  aphid  in  organic  fruit growing. Earwigs overwinter in the ground, thus influence of ground management on earwigs should be determined, too. Further some detail trials will be established to investigate the influence of predator-prey-ratios between earwig and woolly apple aphid. References Hetebrügge, K. (2006), Bekämpfung der Blutlaus durch Freilassung von Blutlauszehrwespen (Aphelinus mali) aus Massenzucht, BLE-Projekt 03OE524/1, Versuchsbericht 2006 Lohrer, T. (2003): Ohrwurm, Institut für Botanik und Pflanzenschutz,  www.fh-weihenstephan.de Archived at http://orgprints.org/13677/

Control of the woolly apple aphid (Erisoma lanigerum Hausm.) by releasing earwigs (Forficula auricularia L.) and support oil applications - an interim report of first year results

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