Pistachio Trees Control Their Own Insect Problem: This nut tree may be one step closer to yielding a pesticide-free crop

摘要

KINGS County UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Bob Beede has discovered a natural solution to phytocoris bugs feeding on pistachio nuts. The best treatment, he says, is to leave them alone. Many farmers spray with perme-thrin-based insecticides, such as Pounce and Ambush, to combat the tiny pest. When farmers began seeing an outbreak of Lecanium soft scale on the trees, Beede assembled a team of scientists to determine whether the insecticide treatment was causing the scale to flourish.