Lygus lineolaris, the tarnished plant bug, is a persistent pest of strawberry (Fragraria x ananassa) production in Eastern North America, and the primary insect pest of concern for Wisconsin strawberry growers. As intercropping strawberries with alfalfa has proven to be an effective strategy for sustainable management of other Lygus species, we sought to examine the efficacy of this trap cropping strategy in managing L. lineolaris. We conducted a binary choice arena bioassay to determine L. lineolaris host preference between alfalfa and strawberry. We then established perimeter strips of alfalfa at three strawberry farms in Southern Wisconsin and examined the degree to which an alfalfa trap crop impacts the abundance and distribution of L. lineolaris in the target crop. L. lineolaris exhibits a preference for alfalfa over strawberry in the laboratory and the data of the field experiment assessing the impact of alfalfa as a trap crop for strawberry is currently being processed.
