Houston Wilson

University of California, Riverside | UCR · Department of Entomology

Habitat diversification has been shown to positively influence a variety of ecosystem services to agriculture, including biological control of arthropod pests. The impact of increased biodiversity tends to be species specific though, and practices therefore need to be developed on a case-by-case basis for each cropping system. In perennial systems,...

Diet can influence parasitoid reproductive performance, and therefore, the efficacy of biocontrol programs. We evaluated the influence of food deprivation on the reproductive fitness and behavior of the egg parasitoid Hadronotus pennsylvanicus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), a prospective biocontrol agent for Leptoglossus zonatus (Heteroptera: Coreidae...

The western leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Coreidae), is a key pest of almonds and pistachios in the USA. With limited monitoring strategies and no economic threshold developed, the use of broad-spectrum insecticides remains the primary control tactic for L. zonatus . In pursuit of more sustainable management options, e...

Using sown groundcovers as trap crops to protect a cash crop is a traditional pest management tool. Pistachio is a major crop in California's Central Valley, where high summer temperatures and little to no precipitation between May and November lead to summer dry-down of annual groundcover. Hemipteran pests that consist of 'small bugs' and 'large b...

Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) is a DNA virus in the family Geminiviridae. This pathogen is the causal agent of grapevine red blotch disease, which affects cultivated grapevines and leads to negative effects on crop quality and yield. GRBV is present in commercial vineyards across North America, indicating spread may have been largely human medi...

Grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV) is the causal agent of grapevine red blotch disease, which affects wine grapes and leads to reduced crop yield and quality. While some virus spread can be attributed to the propagation of infected plant material, a greenhouse assay recently demonstrated that the threecornered alfalfa hopper (Membracidae: Spissistil...

Members of the Anagrus atomus (L.) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) species complex within the atomus species group of the nominate subgenus of Anagrus Haliday are common egg parasitoids of typhlocybine leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae) in grape and other agroecosystems in Europe and North America. Here, all the species in this complex a...

The leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus zonatus (Heteroptera: Coreidae), has become a key pest of almonds, pistachios, and pomegranates in California. Adults and nymphs directly feed on nuts and fruits, which reduces crop yield and quality and can facilitate pathogen infections. Current monitoring strategies require growers to actively sample the tree can...

Legalization of cannabis production has daylighted a unique and highly valuable crop in California agriculture. State and regulatory agencies must now address the ecological, social and agricultural effects of cannabis production, but little is known about how growers produce this crop. Using an online survey, we gathered information from growers i...

In 2018, we surveyed cannabis growers about their experiences with California's commercial cultivation legalization system. Our results suggest high rates of noncompliance with the new regulations. Of the respondents, 31% reported income from cannabis and had not applied for cultivation licenses, indicating a violation of state regulations. These f...

In 2018, we surveyed cannabis growers about their experiences with California’s commercial cultivation legalization system. Our results suggest high rates of noncompliance with the new regulations. Of the respondents, 31% reported income from cannabis and had not applied for cultivation licenses, indicating a violation of state regulations. These f...

Legalization of cannabis production has daylighted a unique and highly valuable crop in California agriculture. State and regulatory agencies must now address the ecological, social and agricultural effects of cannabis production, but little is known about how growers produce this crop. Using an online survey, we gathered information from growers i...

Leptoglossus zonatus is a polyphagous pest found throughout much of the Western Hemisphere. In California, L. zonatus attacks almond, pistachio, pomegranate, and walnut crops, but the seasonal use of and economic damage to these crops varies. To better understand the seasonal changes of L. zonatus populations and to improve monitoring programs in C...

Leptoglossus species, commonly referred to as leaffooted bugs (LFB), inflict serious damage to a wide variety of hosts. Over the last few years, some California agricultural systems have experienced a marked increase in LFB populations and LFB-related issues, particularly in pomegranate, pistachio, and almond orchards. Leptoglossus clypealis, L. oc...

Leptoglossus species, commonly referred to as leaffooted bugs (LFB), inflict serious damage to a wide variety of hosts. Over the last few years, some California agricultural systems have experienced a marked increase in LFB populations and LFB-related issues, particularly in pomegranate, pistachio, and almond orchards. Leptoglossus clypealis, L. oc...

Mechanisms responsible for the success or failure of agricultural diversification are often unknown. Most studies of arthropod pest management focus on enhancing natural enemy effectiveness. However, non-crop plants can also change crop host quality by reducing or adding soil nutrients or water, and therefore improve or hamper pest suppression. Nat...

Agricultural expansion and intensification negatively affect pollinator populations and has led to reductions in pollination services across multiple cropping systems. As a result, growers and researchers have utilized the restoration of local and landscape habitat diversity to support pollinators, and wild bees in particular. Although a majority o...

Grape growers in California utilize a variety of biological, cultural, and chemical approaches for the management of insect and mite pests in vineyards. This combination of strategies falls within the integrated pest management (IPM) framework, which is considered to be the dominant pest management paradigm in vineyards. While the adoption of IPM h...

The influence of local and landscape habitat diversification on biological control of the Western grape leafhopper (Erythroneura elegantula Osborn) by its key parasitoids Anagrus erythroneurae S. Trjapitzin & Chiappini and Anagrus daanei Triapitsyn was studied in wine grape vineyards. At the landscape scale, Anagrus rely on alternative host species...

Anagrus erythroneurae S. Trjapitzin & Chiappini and Anagrus daanei Triapitsyn are the key parasitoids of the western grape leafhopper (Erythroneura elegantula Osborn) in northern California vineyards. Erythroneura elegantula overwinters as an adult in reproductive diapause. To successfully overwinter, Anagrus spp. must locate an alternate leafhoppe...

This study evaluated how the proportional area of natural habitat surrounding a vineyard (i.e. landscape diversity) worked in conjunction with crop vigor, cultivar and rootstock selection to influence biological control of the western grape leafhopper (Erythroneura elegantula Osborn). The key natural enemies of E. elegantula are Anagrus erythroneur...

Over the past few years wine grape growers throughout Northern California have begun to experience outbreaks of the Virginia creeper leafhopper (Erythroneura ziczac Walsh [Hemiptera: Cicadellidae]). This newly invasive species is similar in size and form to a related vineyard pest, the Western grape leafhopper (Erythroneura elegantula Osborn). Cali...

Expansion of vineyards in California’s North Coast wine grape growing region have fragmented oak woodland habitats and reduced the amount of floral resources available to native bees. Increasing floral diversity in vineyards may provide resources for native bees and reduce the negative effects of this habitat fragmentation. Some have theorized that...

Previous studies have demonstrated that increasing habitat diversity within an agroecosystem (field-scale, on-farm diversity) can influence biological control of pests while more recently other studies have shown that the area and diversity of natural habitats surrounding an agroecosystem (landscape-scale diversity) can influence natural enemy popu...

The area, arrangement and species composition of natural habitats surrounding an agroecosystem can potentially influence a number of ecosystem services beneficial to crop production, including biological control of pests. Previous research conducted in wine grapes has indicated that proximity to riparian habitat in particular can influence vineyard...

The intensification of viticulture in California has led to the creation of grape monocultures characterized by an absence of non-crop plant diversity in and around vineyards. The continued expansion of vineyards into California native plant communities has also led to an aggregate reduction of non-crop habitats at the landscape scale (Heaton and M...

Expansion and intensification of agricultural production has led to the simplification of individual crop fields (e.g., monocultures) as well as the landscapes that surround them (e.g., elimination/fragmentation of natural habitats). Natural enemies of herbivorous pests are particularly vulnerable to the effects of landscape simplification, as thes...