Targioni Tozzetti Research Articles

A Survey of Scale Insects (Sternorryncha: Coccoidea) Occurring on Table Grapes in South Africa

Increasing international trade and tourism have led to an increase in the introduction of exotic pests that pose a considerable economic threat to the agro-ecosystems of importing countries. Scale insects (Sternorryncha: Coccoidea) may be contaminants of export consignments from the South African deciduous fruit industry to the European Union, Israel, United Kingdom and the United States, for example. Infestations of immature scale insects found on South African fruit destined for export have resulted in increasing rates of rejection of such consignments. To identify the risk posed by scale insect species listed as phytosanitary pests on table grapes to the abovementioned importing countries, a field survey was undertaken in 2004–2005 in vineyards throughout all grape-producing regions in South Africa. Coccoidea species found during the current field survey were Planococcus ficus (Signoret), Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti), Coccus hesperidum L. and Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead). With the exception of Pl. ficus, which has only been collected from Vitis vinifera (Vitaceae) and Ficus carica (Moraceae) in South Africa, these species are polyphagous and have a wide host range. None of the scale insect species found to occur in vineyards in South Africa pose a phytosanitary risk to countries where fruit are exported except for Ferrisia malvastra (McDaniel) and N. viridis that have not been recorded in the USA. All scale insects previously found in vineyards in South Africa are listed and their phytosanitary status discussed. The results of the survey show that the risk of exporting scale insect pests of phytosanitary importance on table grapes from South Africa is limited.

Parasitoids of obscure mealybug, Pseudococcus viburni (Hem.: Pseudococcidae) in California: establishment of Pseudaphycus flavidulus (Hym.: Encyrtidae) and discussion of related parasitoid species

To improve natural suppression of the obscure mealybug, Pseudococcus viburni (Signoret), the parasitoids Pseudaphycus flavidulus (Brèthes) and Leptomastix epona (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) of Chilean origin were released in California's Central Coast vineyards from 1997 to 1999. A survey for parasitoids of P. viburni was conducted in the Edna Valley appellation wine grape region from 2005 to 2007, 6–8 years after classical biological control releases were discontinued. Two survey methods were used. First, field collections of obscure mealybugs from commercial vineyard blocks (2005–2007) and, second, placement of “sentinel mealybugs” on potted (1 L) grape vines (2006 only). From both survey methods, P. flavidulus was recovered, albeit levels of parasitism were low (less than 0.6%). We also placed longtailed mealybug, Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti), on potted plants concurrent with placement of sentinel obscure mealybugs in the vineyard in order to measure parasitoid activity on this closely-related mealybug species. No P. flavidulus were recovered from P. longispinus. Other encyrtid parasitoids reared from either P. viburni or P. longispinus were Anagyrus pseudococci (Girault), Leptomastix dactylopii Howard, Leptomastidea abnormis (Girault), Coccidoxenoides perminutus Girault, and Tetracnemoidea peregrina (Compere). A hyperparasitoid, Chaetocerus sp., was also reared. The data are discussed with respect to biological control of vineyard mealybugs and newly developed controls for the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Because Pseudaphycus species reared from mealybugs are superficially very similar a taxonomic key and discussion of host relationships for selected Pseudaphycus species are provided.

Relationships among felt scale insects (Hemiptera:Coccoidea:Eriococcidae) of southern beech, Nothofagus (Nothofagaceae), with the first descriptions of Australian species of the Nothofagus-feeding genus Madarococcus Hoy

Species of southern beech (Nothofagus) have been studied extensively because of their importance in understanding southern hemisphere biogeography. Nothofagus species support a diverse assemblage of insect herbivores, including more than 30 described species of felt scales (Eriococcidae). We reconstructed the phylogeny of the Nothofagus-feeding felt scales with nucleotide sequence data and morphology. All but one of the exclusively Nothofagus-feeding species included in the analyses were recovered as a monophyletic group. This clade comprised the genera Chilechiton Hodgson & Miller, Chilecoccus Miller & González, Intecticoccus Kondo, Madarococcus Hoy (except for M. totorae Hoy), Sisyrococcus Hoy and several species of the genus Eriococcus Targioni Tozzetti. The genera Eriococcus and Madarococcus were not recovered as monophyletic. Here we revise Madarococcus. We expand the concept of the genus, provide a key to the adult females of the 31 species of Madarococcus and, for each named species, provide revised synonymies and any new collection or taxonomic information. We recognise the genus from Australia for the first time and describe the adult females of six new Australian species: Madarococcus cunninghamii Hardy & Gullan, sp. nov.; M. meander Hardy & Gullan, sp. nov.; M. megaventris Hardy & Gullan, sp. nov.; M. moorei Hardy & Gullan, sp. nov.; M. occultus Hardy & Gullan, sp. nov., and M. osculus Hardy & Gullan, sp. nov. We also describe the first-instar nymphs of M. cunninghamii, sp. nov., M. meander, sp. nov. and M. moorei, sp. nov. We transfer 17 species into Madarococcus from Eriococcus: M. argentifagi (Hoy), comb. nov.; M. cavellii (Maskell), comb. nov.; M. chilensis (Miller & González), comb. nov.; M. detectus (Hoy), comb. nov.; M. eurythrix (Miller & González), comb. nov.; M. fagicorticis (Maskell), comb. nov.; M. hispidus (Hoy), comb. nov.; M. latilobatus (Hoy), comb. nov.; M. maskelli, (Hoy), comb. nov.; M. montifagi (Hoy), comb. nov.; M. navarinoensis (Miller & González), comb. nov.; M. nelsonensis (Hoy), comb. nov.; M. nothofagi (Hoy), comb. nov.; M. podocarpi (Hoy), comb. nov.; M. raithbyi (Maskell), comb. nov.; M. rotundus (Hoy), comb. nov. and M. rubrifagi (Hoy), comb. nov. We transfer two species from Sisyrococcus into Madarococcus: M. intermedius (Maskell), comb. nov. and M. papillosus (Hoy), comb. nov. One species, M. totarae (Maskell), is excluded from Madarococcus, but cannot at present be placed in another genus and is listed as ‘M.’ totarae incertae sedis. We report the first collection of an eriococcid, M. osculus, sp. nov., on the deciduous beech, Nothofagus gunnii. With respect to biogeography, the results of our phylogenetic analysis are congruent with those obtained from recent analysis of Nothofagus; Australian and New Zealand species of Madarococcus form a monophyletic group to the exclusion of the South American species, suggesting that long-distance dispersal has played an important role in shaping the distributions of both the Nothofagus-feeding felt scales and their hosts.

Investigation of mealybug (hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae) species from Turkey by RAPD

Molecular markers are commonly used for determining the relationship between insect species. In this study, we investigated the relationship of six mealybug species,Planococcus citri (Risso),Planococcus ficus (Signoret),Planococcus vovae (Nasonov),Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti),Pseudococcus viburni (Signoret) andPhenacoccus aceris (Signoret), sampled from Turkey, using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR). Of the 50 RAPD primers tested, 18 identified a total of 256 fragments of which all were polymorphic. Sufficient discrimination betweenP. citri andP. ficus was provided by several RAPD primers. The genetic distance values calculated for each pair-wise comparison ranged from 0.156 to 0.504. Cluster analyses of RAPD data clearly separated the species into two groups.

Activity of an Essential Oil Derived from <I>Chenopodium ambrosioides</I> on Greenhouse Insect Pests

This study involved both greenhouse and laboratory experiments evaluating the effect of an essential oil product (QRD 400) derived from Chenopodium ambrosioides variety nr. Ambrosioides L. (Chenopodiaceae) on greenhouse insect pests that feed on different plant parts: citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso); longtailed mealybug, Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti); western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), and fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.). Treatments were applied to coleus, Solenostemon scutellarioides plants; transvaal daisy, Gerbera jamesonii flowers; or growing medium, depending on the insect pest. The essential oil was most effective, based on adult emergence, on both the second and third instars of the fungus gnat Bradysia sp. nr. coprophila when applied as a drench to growing medium. In addition, there was a significant rate response for QRD 400 on fungus gnats. The QRD 400 treatment had the highest percentage of mortality on longtailed mealybug (55%) compared with the other treatments. However, the essential oil was less effective against citrus mealybug (3% mortality) and western flower thrips adults (18-34% mortality) compared with standard insecticides, such as acetamiprid (TriStar) and spinosad (Conserve), which are typically used by greenhouse producers. This lack of efficacy may be associated with volatility and short residual properties of the essential oil or with the essential oil taking longer to kill insect pests. Other insecticides and miticides evaluated, including sesame oil, garlic, paraffinic oil, and Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, provided minimal control of the designated insect pests. In addition, adult rove beetle Atheta coriaria Kraatz adults were not effective in controlling the larval instars of fungus gnats when applied at a rate of five adults per container.

Coccidae, Pseudococcidae, Ortheziidae, and Monophlebidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of Espírito Santo, Brazil

New plant hosts are recorded for nine scale insect species recently collected in Espírito Santo, Brazil, and eleven scale insect species are recorded for the first time from the state: Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock, Coccus longulus (Douglas), Coccus viridis (Green), Eucalymnatus tesselatus (Signoret), Pseudokermes sp., Saissetia coffeae (Walker), Phenacoccus madeirensis Green, Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi Gimpel & Miller, Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti), Icerya purchasi Maskell, and Icerya genistae Hempel. This is also the first record of Co. longulus in Brazil. Information on the host plants and geographic distribution of the 26 species of scale insects of the families Coccidae, Pseudococcidae, Ortheziidae, and Monophlebidae, currently known from Espírito Santo is provided.

Description of two new genera and species of Eriococcidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) from southern South America

Two new genera of Eriococcidae, Intecticoccus Kondo and Orafortis Hardy, each with a new species (I. viridis Kondo and O. luma Hardy), are described and illustrated based on the adult females. I. viridis was collected on Nothofagus antarctica (Nothofagaceae) in Argentina and Chile, and O. luma was collected in Chile on Amomyrtus luma (Myrtaceae). Based on a phylogenetic analysis of SSU rDNA (18S) sequence data, I. viridis and O. luma are placed within the Gondwanan group of eriococcids (sensu Cook & Gullan 2004), which also includes other Nothofagus-feeding genera such as Chilechiton Hodgson & Miller, Chilecoccus Miller & González and Madarococcus Hoy. Major genera within the Gondwanan group that feed on other plant groups include Lachnodius Maskell, Opisthoscelis Schrader and some species currently assigned to Eriococcus Targioni Tozzetti. We consider that I. viridis and O. luma are each sufficiently distinct from other named taxa to warrant erection of two new genera. DNA data do not support a relationship of Chilechiton with the New Zealand genus Eriochiton Maskell. A revised taxonomic key to the adult females of Eriococcidae known from Chile is provided.

Potential of Temperature, Controlled Atmospheres, and Ozone Fumigation to Control Thrips and Mealybugs on Ornamental Plants for Export

Ozone (O3) fumigation is a potential quarantine treatment alternative for controlling stored-product pests and surface insect pests on fresh agricultural commodities. We explored the effects of temperature, treatment time, controlled atmospheres, and vacuum in combination with O3 to control two important pests of ornamental crops: western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), and longtailed mealybug, Pseudococcus longispinus Targioni Tozzetti. Treatment parameters tested were O3 concentrations from 0 to 3,800 ppm, treatment durations were from 30 to 120 min, vacuums were from 0 to 0.41 bar below ambient, temperatures were from 32.2 to 40.6 degrees C, and controlled atmospheres were composed primarily of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or breathing air [BA]. Treatment efficacy was enhanced by higher O3 concentration and temperature, lower oxygen, and longer treatment times. Reduced pressure was not an important factor. Mealybugs were more difficult to kill than thrips. A 30-min treatment of O3 at approximately 200 ppm in 100% CO2 at 37.8 degrees C killed 47.9 and 98.0% of mealybugs and adult female thrips, respectively. All of the ornamentals tested were damaged to some degree by O3 treatments. However, crops with thick leaves such as orchids exhibited little damage, and the waxy portions of certain flowers were not damaged. The results suggest that O3 has potential as a quarantine treatment to control thrips and mealybugs on selected commodities.

Potential of Temperature, Controlled Atmospheres, and Ozone Fumigation to Control Thrips and Mealybugs on Ornamental Plants for Export

Ozone (O3) fumigation is a potential quarantine treatment alternative for controlling stored-product pests and surface insect pests on fresh agricultural commodities. We explored the effects of temperature, treatment time, controlled atmospheres, and vacuum in combination with O3 to control two important pests of ornamental crops: western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), and longtailed mealybug, Pseudococcus longispinus Targioni Tozzetti. Treatment parameters tested were O3 concentrations from 0 to 3,800 ppm, treatment durations were from 30 to 120 min, vacuums were from 0 to 0.41 bar below ambient, temperatures were from 32.2 to 40.6°C, and controlled atmospheres were composed primarily of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or breathing air [BA]. Treatment efficacy was enhanced by higher O3 concentration and temperature, lower oxygen, and longer treatment times. Reduced pressure was not an important factor. Mealybugs were more difficult to kill than thrips. A 30-min treatment of O3 at ≈200 ppm in 100% CO2 at 37.8°C killed 47.9 and 98.0% of mealybugs and adult female thrips, respectively. All of the ornamentals tested were damaged to some degree by O3 treatments. However, crops with thick leaves such as orchids exhibited little damage, and the waxy portions of certain flowers were not damaged. The results suggest that O3 has potential as a quarantine treatment to control thrips and mealybugs on selected commodities.

Parlatoria blanchardi . [Distribution map

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Parlatoria blanchardi (Targioni Tozzetti) Hemiptera: Diaspididae Hosts: Mainly date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera ), also some other Arecaceae. Information is given on the geographical distribution in EUROPE, France, Italy, Spain, ASIA, Afghanistan, India, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, AFRICA, Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN, Jamaica, Montserrat, SOUTH AMERICA, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Pemambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, OCEANIA, Australia, Queensland.

The genus Pseudococcus (Westwood) (Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae) of Korea

Four species of Pseudococcus (Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae) from Korea were reviewed with redescriptions and illustrations of adult females. Among them, two species, P. cryptus Hempel, 1918 and P. dendrobiorum Williams, 1985, are reported for the first time from the Korean Peninsula, and one species, P. longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti, 1867), is newly known from South Korea. A key is given for the adult females.

LA CORRISPONDENZA DI OTTAVIANO TARGIONI TOZZETTI

SUMMARY Ottaviano Targioni Tozzetti (1755-1829), son of the famous naturalist Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti, was an important figure in the Tuscan scientific scene between the end of the eighteenth century and the first decades of the nineteenth century. Active as a physician in the Florentine Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova, and a member of the Accademia dei Georgofili, Ottaviano Targioni Tozzetti was interested in chemistry, agriculture and botany, and directed the Florentine botanical garden for thirty years. The inventory of his letters conserved in the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale of Florence, bear witness to the importance and quality of his contact with the Italian and European scientific communities. The study also contributes to a rediscovery of the life and activity of this scientist.

A Survey (1992–1996) of natural enemies of diaspididae species in Antalya, Turkey

Natural enemies associated with armoured scale insects were surveyed in Antalya province during the years 1992-1996. The surveys yielded 16 species of predators and 11 species of parasitoids associated with 11 species of scale insects. One predator species—Lestodiplosisaonidiellae Harris, one hyperparasite species—Ablerusperspeciosus Girault, and one parasitoid species—Coccophagoidesmoeris (Walker), are recorded for the first time in Turkey. Three coleopterans, namely,Chilocorus bipustulatus (Linnaeus),Cybocephalus fodori- minor Endrody-Younga andRhyzobius lophanthae (Blaisdell), were found to be the most common predators and to be associated with the diverse species of diaspidids in Antalya and are known so also in other parts of Turkey. Among the parasitoids found,Aphytis chrysomphali (Mercet) andAphytis melinus DeBach are known to be relatively important onAonidiella aurantii (Maskell),Aphytis maculicornis (Masi) onParlatoria oleae (Colvee),Aphytis mytilaspidis (LeBaron) onLepidosaphes ulmi (Linnaeus), andEncarsia berlesei (Howard) onPseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni Tozzetti), in Antalya and/or other parts of Turkey.

European views on terrestrial chronology from Descartes to the mid-eighteenth century

Abstract The Theories of the Earth formulated by the English scholars Thomas Burnet, William Whiston and John Woodward at the end of the seventeenth century circulated widely within the continent of Europe during the first decades of the eighteenth century. These theories established a sequence of physical conditions of the Earth according to the chronology outlined in the Book of Genesis, emphasizing two main stages: the Creation and the Deluge. Although the authority of the Biblical account of the age and early history of the Earth was normally accepted at the beginning of the eighteenth century, the continental reception of English Theories of the Earth varied. This was due to the complexity of the European context which since the 1660s had produced the theories of René Descartes, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Athanasius Kircher, as well as Nicolaus Steno’s dynamic view on the development of the Earth’s surface. Steno emphasized the importance of the interpretation of rock strata in the field for reconstruction of the Earth’s history. He also carefully avoided contradicting the Biblical account and associated the Deluge with one of the geological stages identified in his history. Nevertheless, the Stenonian heritage stimulated some Italian scientists — such as Antonio Vallisneri, Luigi Ferdinando Marsili, and later Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti and Giovanni Arduino — to presuppose, within the results of their researches, an indefinitely great antiquity of the Earth. Theoretical models linked to Biblical chronology included those of Emanuel Swedenborg in Sweden and Johann Jakob Scheuchzer in Switzerland, while in France, Benoît De Maillet proposed a Theory of the Earth which was censured by the Church because of its possible implications regarding the eternity of matter. Among European scholars of the first decades of the eighteenth century, the Stenonian heritage (notably the necessity of fieldwork in a regional context) and the global Theories of the Earth were equally influential.

Identification of the immature instars of mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) found on citrus in Australia

AbstractAn identification guide is provided to most of the immature stages of six mealybug species (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae) that might be collected from citrus (Rutaceae) in Australia. This information is important for foreign quarantine inspections because mealybugs intercepted on Australian citrus exports are often nymphs. A key and a table, based on microscopic features, allow separation of the first‐, second‐ and third‐instar nymphs and identification to species for second‐ and third‐instar females. Selected diagnostic features of second‐instar females are illustrated. Second‐instar male nymphs also can be identified as they resemble the second‐instar females of their species except for the possession of dorsal ducts that secrete the wax of the male cocoon. Immatures stages are diagnosed for the pink hibiscus mealybug Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), the spherical mealybug Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead), the citrus mealybug Planococcus citri (Risso), the citrophilous mealybug Pseudococcus calceolariae (Maskell), the longtailed mealybug Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti), and the tuber mealybug Pseudococcus viburni (Signoret) [formerly Pseudococcus affinis (Maskell)].

Mining and Knowledge of the Earth in Eighteenth-century Italy

Interaction between geology and mining was a decisive element for the development of stratigraphy during the eighteenth century in Germany, Sweden, England, and also Italy. This paper analyses the importance of mining background and experience, and interest in mining, among some eighteenth-century Italian scholars who studied mountains and other terrestrial reliefs paying particular attention to their rocks, strata and formations. Several primary sources are examined, from the early case of Antonio Vallisneri-who, being a physician, used the mines and the quarries as necessary tools of his 'anatomy' of the mountains-up to the geological travels in the Alps and the Apennines promoted in the late eighteenth century with mining perspectives. Rigorous empirical approaches to the study of the Earth's surface-shown by scientists such as Luigi Ferdinando Marsili, Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti and Giovanni Arduino-are here investigated in the light of their mining expertise. This practical knowledge was an essential element of their theoretical work on the 'classification' of mountains.

ISTITUZIONI E FONTI L'ISTITUTO VACCINOGENO ALL'OSPEDALE DI SANTA MARIA DEGLI INNOCENTI DI FIRENZE NEL XVIII SECOLO

Abstract<title> SUMMARY </title>Under the government of the Lorraine dynasty, in 1756, Doctor Targioni Tozzetti and his colleague Scutellari inoculated six children with some drops of smallpox (taken from a 12 year-old boy who was already ill) at the Ospedale degli Innocenti, the old florentine foundling hospital. This was the first instance of smallpox vaccination in Florence.Under the government of Pietro Leopoldo (Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790 and then Emperor of Austria from 1790 to 1792), in 1777 the inoculations were carried out under the responsibility of Doctor Stefano Baci. This time were submitted to vaccination fourteen children and it is interesting to note how many and what changes occurred with respect to the vaccination performed twenty years before.

A cladistic analysis of wax scales (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae: Ceroplastinae)

AbstractSeven genera of wax scales (Ceroplastinae) have been accepted as valid by some or all coecidologists: Ceroplastes Gray, Ceroplastidia Cockerell, Cerostegia De Lotto, Gascardia Targioni Tozzetti, Paracerostegia Tang, Vinsonia Signoret and Waxiella De Lotto. The status of most these genera is controversial. The present study reviews the taxonomic history of wax scales and presents a new classification based on cladistic analysis of morphological data from the adult females of eighty‐three species. The analysis indicates that the wax scales form a monophyletic group, that Waxiella is monophyletic but that Ceroplastidia, Gascardia and Vinsonia are not, and fails to support the generic status of Cerostegia and Paracerostegia. Apart from the type species of Vinsonia, which was placed as a sister to the rest of wax scales, the only other species assigned to Vinsonia and most species of all other genera fall within Ceroplastes in the cladogram. Recognition of any of these genera renders Ceroplastes paraphyletic or polyphyletic. Thus, cladistically, the wax scales should be classified into one genus, Ceroplastes.

Local Adaptation in the Armored Scale Insect Pseudaulacaspis Pentagona (Homoptera: Diaspididae)

We investigated adaptation of the armored scale insect Pseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni—Tozzetti) to individual mulberry trees (Morus alba L.) in Maryland, USA. We tested local adaptation by transferring eggs within and between trees and by measuring the subsequent survival of developing scales. Survival of P. pentagona was significantly higher when raised on their natal host tree compared to rearings on novel trees. This finding is consistent with local adaptation of scale populations to individual host trees. However, we found evidence for differences in local adaptation of scale populations only between populations on distantly separated mulberry trees. There was no evidence for genetic differentiation of scale populations on neighboring trees, suggesting that gene flow inhibited local adaptation. By adapting to individual plants, few populations of herbivores appear to sacrifice their ability to colonize new conspecific hosts. While local adaptation may fine tune herbivore populations to individual host phenotypes, it is unlikely to play a general role in explaining the patchy distribution of herbivorous insects on their hosts plants.

Aerial dispersal of first- and second-instar longtailed mealybug, Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti) (Pseudococcidae: Hemiptera)

First- and second-instar Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti) were found in sticky plate traps erected around a commercial Josephine pear block. Of those trapped, 89% were first instars and11% second instars. Adult males are winged and capable of weak flight but were caught on only 2 of the76 days of trapping. It is unlikely that the winged males use the wind to assist them in dispersing to new locations. Numbers of instars found in the traps were positively related (P&lt;0.05) to wind speed and to the square of the daily maximum temperature. Aerial dispersal could be important in the colonisation of new areas or in the spread of resistance genes.