Integrated pest eradication : trends, tools and technologies for horticultural pests

More invasive species than ever are extending their geographic and host plant ranges and impacts on horticultural production have included a destabilization of IPM programs through a return to broad-spectrum insecticides. An analysis of more than 300 officially sanctioned eradication programs targeting horticultural pests in 43 countries shows that North America leads with close to 200 such programs, followed by Oceania (Australia, New Zealand and Pacific island nations) and Europe. Programs targeting Lepidoptera are followed by those targeting Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera, with few attempts against other groups, possibly due to a lack of delimitation tools and other factors. Programs are increasingly successful (more than 180 globally), with medfly the greatest single target, but an increasing diversity of pest organism targets is evident. Not all taxa have the same tools available for eradication, and not all IPM tools can be used in urban or other sensitive ecosystems. Comparatively benign approaches, including semiochemicals, will have an increasing role to play to combat this challenge but the response to aerial application of pheromones against light brown apple moth in California represents a new social challenge. More investment in tools for surveillance and eradication of unwanted organisms is warranted, in order to mitigate greater long terms costs of pest management. Better integration of tactics to maximize Allee effects at low population densities will also generate improvements.