Journal article
Ground cover and floral resources in shelterbelts increase the abundance of beneficial hymenopteran families
IM Smith, AA Hoffmann, LJ Thomson
Agricultural and Forest Entomology | Published : 2015
DOI: 10.1111/afe.12086
Abstract
Hymenopteran parasitoids are important natural enemies of pest species in many agricultural crops, including grapes, and there is increasing interest in using habitat manipulation to enhance populations. In the present study, we investigated which vegetation variables of shelterbelts are associated with increased hymenopteran family abundance by screening 60 shelterbelts adjacent to vineyards or pasture near Melbourne, Australia. Associations between vegetation characteristics and parasitoid abundance, sampled five times at monthly intervals using canopy sticky traps, were investigated. The presence of vineyard or pasture adjacent to the shelterbelt had no impact on hymenopteran family abund..
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Funding Acknowledgements
Financial assistance for the present study was provided by the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment - ANZ Trustees Foundation and by the Jasper Loftus-Hill Memorial Fund. Assistance with field work and its design was provided by Dr Michael Nash. Access to research sites was generously granted by the landholders and managers of the Yarra Valley. IMS designed the experiment and analyzed the results with the assistance of LJT and AAH, who supervised, modified and improved on the methods used. Data collection was undertaken by IMS. The writing of the paper submitted for publication was undertaken by IMS, with corrections and editing by LJT and AAH.