Common orchard pests

Abstract

This slide set contains examples of insect and mite pests found attacking pip and stone fruit trees in both home gardens and commercial orchards. It must be stressed that not all the pests illustrated will necessarily occur at any particular place or time as climatic and seasonal variations influence the distribution of insects. In addition, the stages of the life cycle of an insect may occur at distinct times during the year. This is particularly true for those passing through only 1 or 2 generations per year. Observations of orchard pests are best made in home gardens or abandoned orchards. As well as being able to observe their life cycles and damage, other interesting facets of their biology may also be noted, e.g., parasitism and predation by natural enemies. With the exception of a small group of very primitive wingless insects there are two types of insect life cycle. The first exhibits incomplete metamorphosis and is called a hemimetabolic life cycle. The stages are egg, nymph and adult, with the wings appearing gradually on the later nymphal instars, e.g., aphids, crickets, cockroaches. The other, exhibiting complete metamorphosis, is called a holometabolic life cycle. The stages are egg, larva, pupa, adult with the wings developing internally within the pupal stage, e.g., bees, flies, butterflies and moths. However, in some of the groups a specialist term is used, e.g., caterpillar to refer to the larval stage of butterflies and moths, maggot to refer to the larval stage of the true flies (Diptera).