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face of the brown marmorated stinkbug. Early results look good, Hull said. The stinkbug is very active in trees during the late evening and overnight, and migrates into orchards from many host plants outside the orchard, he explained. By spraying more frequently and using lower insecticide dosages, the odds of making contact with the bugs are increased, dependence on residual insecticides is reduced, and beneficial insects and mites will likely con- tinue to provide some control over other pests in the orchard, he said. Waves of the future Dealing with exotic insects and diseases is the way of the future, Hull says. "We're a global society now. We are likely to see wave after wave of new pests. We just move around a lot, and the pests move with us." During Hull's career, growers learned how to deal with these invasive pests and maintain some semblance of biological control at the same time. This will continue to be a challenge for the future, he says. Some of the newer, highly targeted, reduced-risk insecticides are in some cases just as toxic to certain beneficial organisms as the older insecticides, to which many beneficials had gained tolerance or resistance. This, plus the need to control the stinkbug with chemicals that are harder on beneficials, will challenge efforts to expand the use of biological control. A loss of beneficial predators and parasitoids could result in eruption of secondary pests, like mites and scale insects, and that could mean more dependence on chemical spraying and a return to the pre-IPM era. On the other hand, he said, new techniques will con- tinue to be developed and improved and will make IPM more useful. Pheromone mating disruption, for example, has been effective and is here to stay, he said. It will become easier to use with newer methods of application and dispensing systems that save time and labor. Trapping and monitoring tools are being improved. Hull and other entomologists are working to perfect elec- tronic traps that can capture insects, identify what species they are, count their numbers, and transmit the information to a computer using wireless technology. Spray application technology will continue to improve. Shortage of scientists What will probably not improve is public funding in support of such efforts. "Will we have the scientists in place at the land-grant universities?" he asks. Currently, Penn State—and other land-grant universities—are leaving faculty positions unfilled, and his own position will not be soon filled, he said. He gave high marks to the efforts of Washington State fruit growers, who have voted to tax themselves to build endowed funds to support scientists and their research. This—more funding from industry—may also be the way of the future. Hull sees a challenging future for organic fruit production in the East. "The West has the perfect environment," he said. "It is the best place to try to grow fruit organically. It is a strug- gle trying to do it here in the East. The insect and disease complex is large and diverse, and when you add in the new invasive species, it becomes even more difficult. Organic products do little to control the brown marmorated stinkbug." He believes the future lies with IPM, where growers try to make the best choices possible to control pests with the least possible use and expenditure of chemicals and least damage to the environment. • www.goodfruit.com PO Box 116 Wenatchee, WA 98807.0116 509.662.7164 tree@c-onursery.com FAX 509.662.4519 www.c-onursery.com *Patent information available upon request. GOOD FRUIT GROWER MARCH 1, 2012 19 800.232.2636 Sk ylar Rae® (Tip T Very high sugarVer Top cv) r . Colors well without reflective material. Rubinstar ® Jonagold More intense red and colors more evenly throughout the tree September W er W W onder® Fuji The earliest true Fuji Benton® Excellent flavor with good aftertaste. Pacific Gala® Flavor remains sweet and pleasant throughout its storage life. Seeking Solutions Day after day year af ter year and now century Day af ter day y,, year afft now centur after centur Tu T ur ur n to ry after cen tury, tury we're here Seeking solutions…together and l let us work with you: ether ter year and ry, we're here f for our growers inding ways to help or our growers f finding ways to help you be productive and profitable. to C& O and et us work with you: r..