Chemical control of amorbia, an insect pest of avocado and citrus

Amorbia cuneana (Walsingham), known to most growers as amorbia, is a sporadic "worm" pest of avocados in California. Recently it has also become an important pest of citrus in the San Joaquin Valley. It feeds on the leaves and fruit of both food crops, causing economic losses to growers. University of California researchers are developing a pest management program for avocados covering amorbia as well as the omnivorous looper, Sabulodes aegrotata (Guenee); the greenhouse thrips, Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis (Bouche); the avocado brown mite, Oligonychus punicae (Hirst); and the six-spotted mite, Eotetranychus sexmaculatus (Riley). The research emphasizes the development of control measures that do the least harm to beneficial organisms.