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23 May 2024 Hover fly (Diptera: Syrphidae) diversity and seasonality in North Georgia apple and peach orchards
Kenneth W. McCravy, C. Scott Clem, Jordan B. Bailey, Sabrina A. Elgar, Brett R. Blaauw
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Abstract

Crop pollination and natural biological control provided by beneficial insects have an economic worth of hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Apple and peach production in North Georgia are economically important industries that benefit from these ecological services. Hover flies are dual ecosystem service providers that have been relatively understudied in orchard ecosystems. We investigated the diversity and seasonal activity of hover flies in apple and peach orchards at 2 sites in North Georgia from March to October 2020 and 2021. Bowl traps were used to sample hover flies in orchard edge and interior habitats. The aphidophagous species Toxomerus geminatus (Say) (Diptera: Syrphidae) and Toxomerus marginatus (Say) (Diptera: Syrphidae) comprised 86.6% of the total hover flies collected. Apple orchards yielded the greatest hover fly presence, species richness, and Toxomerus spp. abundance. Hover fly richness and diversity were greatest during postbloom, but Toxomerus spp. abundance was greatest during the bloom period. No differences in presence, richness, diversity, or Toxomerus spp. abundance were found between edge and interior habitats. Toxomerus geminatus and T. marginatus were dominant from March through August, with T. geminatus being more abundant than T. marginatus in March, early April, and August. October sampling produced the greatest hover fly richness. Our results suggest that hover flies are abundant in North Georgia orchards and exhibit substantial spatial and temporal variation in richness and diversity. Expanded studies incorporating additional sampling efforts and methods are needed to further characterize the hover fly fauna and their impact on North Georgia apple and peach orchards.

Graphical Abstract

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Kenneth W. McCravy, C. Scott Clem, Jordan B. Bailey, Sabrina A. Elgar, and Brett R. Blaauw "Hover fly (Diptera: Syrphidae) diversity and seasonality in North Georgia apple and peach orchards," Journal of Economic Entomology 117(4), 1572-1581, (23 May 2024). https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toae103
Received: 16 January 2024; Accepted: 3 May 2024; Published: 23 May 2024
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KEYWORDS
bowl trap
ecosystem service
natural enemy
pollinator
seasonal phenology
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