Field evaluation of efficacy and persistence of an insect vacuum device against the tarnished plant bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) in a day-neutral strawberry field.

The efficacy of a vacuuming device to reduce Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) populations was evaluated over 3 yr in a day-neutral strawberry field. Immediately after treatments, a significant reduction of population estimates (by tapping of flower clusters) was observed for adults (75% of the time) and nymphs (50% of the time). Under the same conditions, control (i.e., vacuum turbine off) treatments significantly reduced adult population estimates 25% of the time. Lygus lineolaris tapping samples taken from strawberry plants adjacent to the treated zone did not show significant variations over sampling time, suggesting that no escape behavior occurred. This was supported by adult catches on sticky traps located in zones adjacent to the treated one. Our results suggest that vacuuming had inconsistent effect on tarnished plant bug populations and that L. lineolaris mobility plays a marginal role in the use of this control method.