Nov 2024
Diagnostic Resources for Pests and Beneficial Insects on Specialty Crops
Authors:
Gene Hall, Davide Bergamaschi, John Palumbo, Peter Ellsworth, Carlos Martinez, Isadora Bordini, Naomi Pier, Wendy Moore
Arizona is home to extremely insect diversity, with minimal estimates of 20,000
species in our state. Many pest and beneficial species occur on specialty crops, thus
being of economic importance to Arizona stakeholders and crop production.
Accurate species identification is essential to select best control methods, and
knowing which species are beneficial for controlling pest species helps maintain a
natural balance of interactions within crop fields.