The predator complex on irrigated corn is dominated by four seasonally varying predators Neoseiulus fallacis (Garman), Orius insidiosis (Say), Scolothrips sexmaculatus Pergande, and Stethorus picipes Casey. A key to make effective use of these predators on BGM control is to understand their predation behaviors under natural conditions, especially their prey preference and predation rate with regard to predator and prey density and temperature.

The emphasis of our study is to obtain those parameters from data through direct field observations. Such data not only provide us with essential information on predator-prey interactions at field level, but also provide quantitative data for their direct incorporation into our Corn-BGM-Predator system model for comprehensive experimentation on the effect of these predators in BGM control.

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