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Seasonal Abundance Of Ground Beetles In Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium Corymbosum) Fields And Response To A Reduced-Risk Insecticide Program, Matthew E. O'Neal, K. S. Mason, R. Isaacs

Matthew E. O'Neal

Seasonal patterns of ground beetle activity were examined at six highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) farms in southwestern Michigan. On each farm, pitfall traps were used to monitor ground beetle activity in two adjacent fields: one managed under a conventional insecticide program (grower standard) and the other with reduced-risk insecticides. Overall, more active ingredient was applied in grower standard than reduced-risk fields, with the greatest amount used in June and July. During the 6-mo sampling period, we collected 11,322 ground beetles comprised of 34 species, with Harpalus pensylvanicus DeGeer representing 70.7% of the total beetles collected. The greatest amount of …