To help answer many of those queries, Mayse helped to form a research team from both California State University, Fresno and the University of California to put the publication together. The guide is brief, just four pages, and designed for use in the field. A primary goal was simply to help growers and pest control advisors become familiar with the types of spiders that will take up residence in a vineyard - if allowed to. These are considered good guys. If we begin to get a little insight into who they are and what they do, we will find the means to conserve them.
Some spiders also eat omnivorous leafroller larvae, mealybugs, mites, and thrips.
Attitudes of grape growers towards the use of pesticides have changed significantly in the last 10 years, Mayse noted. Publication of the spider guide is another way of advancing the philosophy of IPM, among both growers and pest control advisors. Mayse said he and the other authors will use it in upcoming academic and industry presentations. All rights reserved.