Paul da Silva

College of Marin · Life and earth Sciences

This is the first all-taxa inventory of the insects of a California coastal dune with an intact native flora. Species richness for insects is the greatest of all taxa for which information is available from this site, which conforms to global biodiversity patterns.

California pistachios are threatened by several stink bug species (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), including the native Thyanta pallidovirens (Stål) and Chlorochroa uhleri (Stål), as well as the invasive Nezara viridula (L.). In pistachio, control tactics often target specific life stages, which makes knowledge about life histories fundamental to success...

Life history parameters were established under controlled laboratory conditions for the green stink bug, Chinavia hilaris (Say) (= Acrosternum hilare), to improve pest control in pistachios in California. Parameters measured and calculated included survival and development at seven constant temperatures (ranging from 15 to 35 degrees C), developmen...

"Large bug" damage to pistachio nuts varies by season, as well as among in- sect species and development stages, with larger bugs typically causing more damage than smaller bugs. We investigated pistachio damage by three large bug species (leaffooted bug, redshouldered stink bug and flat green stink bug) at different devel- opment stages and throug...