Role of bats as natural pest control agents of moth pests (false codling moth and carob moth) on citrus orchard

Abstract

Over the years, the change in farming practices has caused a tremendous decline in the diversity of flora and fauna within agricultural landscapes through intensification of land use. An increase in agricultural intensification has resulted in increased farm sizes and reduced landscape heterogeneity. In the past two decades, the interest in services that insectivorous bats provide within agricultural landscapes through insect pest suppression has gained recognition globally. Multiple studies have thoroughly examined the vital role played by insectivorous bats within agricultural landscapes as biological control of insect pests for crops such as rice, cotton, pecan, corn, and macadamia. However, little to none is known about the impact insectivorous bats have within citrus landscapes. This study specifically focuses on how insectivorous bats inhabiting different landscapes respond to insect pest outbreaks, especially that of false codling moth (FCM) and carob moth (CM), important pests of citrus. The study first gives a general introduction of the importance of landscape heterogeneity within agricultural landscapes, beneficial effects that insectivorous bats have in agricultural areas, and the use of advanced molecular methods to analyze the diet of insectivorous bats. Secondly, we investigated the influence of land use heterogeneity, temperature, and insect pest activity on bat species richness and different foraging groups. Our results demonstrate higher bat activity in natural areas (wet riparian zones and orchard edges) compared to orchards, and further illustrate that bat species richness and activity were highly influenced by temperature. Lastly, we investigate the moth pest consumption by different bat species of different foraging groups. We found that all bat foraging groups, open-air and clutter-edge foragers, had a high consumption rate of agricultural pests including FCM and CM. The results of this study emphasize how crucial it is to preserve natural habitats and bat populations in citrus landscapes. Including bats in integrated pest management (IPM) programs can benefit both agriculture and biodiversity.