L. hesperus is a severe pest when alfalfa is cut and it seeks refuge in fruiting cotton. In Shafter California, we sought to measure seasonal abundance and dispersal of L. hesperus in order to develop models and management strategies. We monitored abundance using pan traps set in transects between an alfalfa and cotton field. We performed 5 mark-recapture experiments over the summer. After alfalfa cutting, decline in abundance within alfalfa was coincident with increases in nearby cotton. Coincident migration of natural enemies did not appear to countervail the migration of L. hesperus. Average dispersal distance was greater within cotton than alfalfa. Results are explained in the context of studies on feeding preferences and diffusion models for seasonal population redistribution.
Species 1: Heteroptera Miridae Lygus hesperus (western tarnished plant bug)
Species 2: Heteroptera Miridae Lygus elisus
Keywords: diffusion, areawide management
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