D3424: Two years of surveys of the arthropod complex associated with hops (Humulus lupulus L.) in Nebraska

Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) is a perennial specialty crop used in beer production. As the number of local craft breweries has increased, the demand for locally grown hops has expanded. This study aimed to identify the arthropod community associated with two varieties of hops (Chinook and Glacier), over two growing seasons (2022 and 2023). Surveys were conducted in a newly established hopyard (0.5 ha) in North Platte, Nebraska. Arthropod collecting was carried out using yellow sticky cards positioned at three different heights (1.0, 2.5, and 4.5 m) the hops canopy, at six sampling sites in the hopyard. Yellow sticky cards were deployed for one-week periods between June and September. Depending on identification ability, all insects were identified to order, family, or species. Over 400,000 arthropods were collected. The most common insect pest was the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and the potato leafhopper Empoasca fabae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). Both species are opportunistic feeders and not specifically pests of hops, which is typical of the pest complex found on this crop. The most common groups of natural enemies were parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea), long-legged flies (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), predatory thrips (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae), and hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae). The highest arthropod abundance was found at 1 m height, compared to the other two. This study is the first to describe arthropod populations in hops in the west central part of Nebraska across multiple years, which will help us make appropriate IPM recommendations for this emerging crop.