@article{forehand_orr_linker_2006, title={Evaluation of a commercially available beneficial insect habitat for management of Lepidoptera pests}, volume={99}, DOI={10.1093/jee/99.3.641}, abstractNote={A field study was conducted in 2003 and 2004 at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems in Goldsboro, NC, to evaluate the effectiveness of a commercially available beneficial insect habitat in decreasing pest caterpillar populations in organically managed tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., plots. Six pairs of tomato plots were established and a commercial beneficial insect habitat seed mix (Peaceful Valley's Good Bug Blend) transplanted around the perimeter of treatment plots, whereas a brown-top millet, Brachiaria ramose (L.) Stapf., border was planted around control plots. Egg predation, egg parasitism by trichogrammatid wasps, and larval parasitism by braconid wasps was monitored throughout the growing season to determine whether habitat increased their activity. In both years of this study, the density of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and Manduca spp. eggs was not significantly different between treatment and control plots. Although parasitism was the most important component of egg mortality (19-49%), parasitism was not significantly different between habitat types. Identifiable predation was a minor component (3-9%) of egg fate; it is possible that unidentified predation may be part of the approximately 35-52% of eggs that met unknown fates. Larval parasitism levels ranged from approximately 10 to 90% but was not significantly influenced by the presence of beneficial insect habitat in either year of the study. These results demonstrate that natural enemy activity in organic tomatoes was not amplified, and pest populations were not reduced by the presence of a commercially available beneficial insect habitat.}, number={3}, journal={Journal of Economic Entomology}, author={Forehand, L. M. and Orr, D. B. and Linker, H. M.}, year={2006}, pages={641–647} }
 @article{forehand_orr_linker_2006, title={Insect communities associated with beneficial insect habitat plants in North Carolina}, volume={35}, ISSN={["1938-2936"]}, DOI={10.1603/0046-225X(2006)35[1541:ICAWBI]2.0.CO;2}, abstractNote={Abstract This study recorded the arthropod communities present in three commercially available beneficial insect habitat seed mixes (Peaceful Valley’s Good Bug Blend, Clyde Robin’s Border Patrol, and Heirloom Seed’s Beneficial Insect Mix) and three commonly grown cut flower/herb plantings (Zinnia, Celosia, and fennel). Communities were sampled three ways: (1) foliar and floral collections were made using a D-Vac and aerial nets, and insects were identified to family and assigned to feeding groups; (2) pitfall traps were used to collect ground beetle and ground-dwelling spider populations; and (3) evening observations recorded visits by noctuid (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and hawk moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) to flowers. Overall, Good Bug Blend had the highest abundance and diversity of beneficial parasitoids, predators, and ground beetles. However, along with Border Patrol, it also harbored the highest diversity and abundance of crop-feeding herbivores. The Border Patrol plantings had the highest diversity and abundance of insect herbivore crop pests and the highest number of feeding visits by pest moth species during evening observations. The moth visits were most likely caused by the presence of evening primrose in this mix that blooms at dusk when moths are most active. Celosia harbored the greatest diversity and abundance of predators and parasitoids in the cut flower/herb plots. Fennel had the lowest overall abundance and diversity of all the plantings, but this may have been caused by late summer flowering.}, number={6}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY}, author={Forehand, L. M. and Orr, D. B. and Linker, H. M.}, year={2006}, month={Dec}, pages={1541–1549} }