PARASITISM OF TUFTED APPLE BUD MOTH (LEPIDOPTERA, TORTRICIDAE) IN CONVENTIONAL INSECTICIDE AND PHEROMONE-TREATED PENNSYLVANIA APPLE ORCHARDS

A faunistic study was conducted over a four year period in apple orcha rds utilizing different pesticide management strategies to determine t he parasitoid complex of the tufted apple bud moth, Platynota idaeusal is (Walker). The relative effectiveness of these parasitoids as contro l agents in conventional orchards using broad-spectrum insecticides wa s compared to those using pheromone-mediated mating disruption to cont rol P. idaeusalis. Limited samples were also taken of other tortricids found in these orchards to determine if they were serving as alternat e hosts for P. idaeusalis parasitoids. Thirty-one parasitoid and two h yperparasitoid species were recovered during this study which, when co mbined with other records, present a total parasitoid complex of 41 sp ecies for P. idaeusalis. Total parasitism was higher for summer brood P, idaeusalis larvae in mating disruption orchards than in conventiona l orchards. Total parasitism of the overwintering brood of P, idaeusal is was higher than the summer brood in conventional orchards. Rates of parasitism were comparable in mating disruption blocks during both br oods. The ichneumon Exochus atriceps Walsh, was the most common parasi toid species, and it attacked both broods of P. idaeusalis. The bracon ids Meteorus trachynotus Viereck, Bassus anulipes (Cresson), B, cinctu s (Cresson), Apanteles polychrosidis Viereck, and an Apanteles sp, nea r edwardsii Riley were also common but they attacked only the overwint ering brood. Four undescribed species of braconids were found during t his study.