Vacuums provide limited Lygus control in strawberries

Lygus bug (Lygus hesperus) feeding causes small strawberry size and weight, but the most serious damage is a deformation of the fruit called “cat-facing.” Over two growing seasons, three grower-designed vacuum machines were evaluated for season-long control of Lygus bugs in production strawberry (var. ‘Selva’) fields on the coast. The Lygus bug control in fields vacuumed weekly and twice-weekly was compared to that in fields treated with malathion insecticide or an unregistered pesticide, bifenthrin. All vacuum machines significantly reduced Lygus bug damage when compared to the untreated control. However, the damage in plots treated only with the vacuum machines was high enough to be considered economically unacceptable.