Acoustic playbacks on plants can decrease reproductive success in pear psylla

Vibrational communication is ubiquitous in the insect world. This channel of communication can be highly species specific, which could be exploited for behavioral manipulation as a control strategy for pests. Cacopsylla pyricola is one of the major pests of pears in the Pacific Northwest. One of the major reasons they are hard to control is because they have developed pesticide resistance. Other types of pest management, like the use of reflective mulch, have started showing promising results in controlling psylla population in the orchards. Exploration of alternative management strategies could lead to a more effective control of pear psylla, such as exploiting communication behavior. In this greenhouse experiment, potted pear plants with pear psylla received vibrational male signal playbacks. Pear plants that received vibrational playbacks had less offspring at the end of the experimental period. This result suggests that the use of vibrational playback as a mate disruption strategy should be explored and developed. This tool can be added to an already growing arsenal of integrated pest management strategies. Because of the wide-spread use of vibrational communication in insects, this type of pest management strategy may potentially be translated to other pests.