University of Nebraska San Francisco, California, United States
Lady beetles, Coccinellidae, are one of the most important insect species that help mitigate the population of crop eating insects. In order to maximize field production and reduce the employment of chemical pest control, it is critical to ensure healthy and abundant populations of beneficial insect populations such as the lady beetles. This study is testing the effects of planting native grasses next to corn fields to mitigate the population of the pest the western bean cutworm (WBC). The hypothesis is that planting native grasses as a habitat for Coccinellidae next to corn crops will serve to increase Coccinellidae populations and increase the consumption of WBC. Specifically, we will look at if Coccinellidae are more attracted to eating WBC when their larvae appear in July while the native grasslands may be drying up and have decreased aphid populations, the most preferred dietary choice. To do so, we will collect 5-8 lady beetle samples at 3 sites in three test dates in June and again in July: in the corn fields, in adjacent land between corn and grass, and in the grass fields. We will use PCR to determine what percentage of the lady beetle’s diet is made up of aphids and WBC in June compared to July. Results will help farmers decide if they should increase the transition of corn fields to native grasses and/or utilize corner lands to plant native grasses as a means to increase lady beetle populations for integrated pest management to decrease WBC populations.
