The study investigated the efficacy of four different essential oils on the repellent responses of large black chafer (Holotrichia parallela) Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in organic pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) orchards. Cinnamon, pine, peppermint, and eucalyptus oils were used, and the behavioral responses and repellent effects against H. parallela were investigated under laboratory and field conditions. Adult beetle responses to different oils were examined using a Y-tube olfactometer in the laboratory and four absorbent blocks with each oil in the field. The repellent responses rates of H. parallela were 100% for cinnamon oil; however, only 67% of adult beetles avoided peppermint and eucalyptus oil in the Y-tube olfactometer bioassay. In the field tests, the least damage to leaves was observed on trees treated with cinnamon oil, whereas the most damage was observed in the control (non-treated) trees and those treated with peppermint oil, followed by eucalyptus and pine oil. Therefore, cinnamon oil can be used as a repellent to avoid damage form large black chafers in organic pear orchards.

The efficacy of different control techniques against the large black chafer, Holotrichia parallela Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in organic pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) orchards was evaluated. In this study, field trials were conducted in three locations in Korea—Naju, Hampyeong, and Boseong—to evaluate different techniques to suppress these beetles. Pheromone traps, bio-insecticides (Hongmengye and Melchungdaejang), and a combination of the two were applied as treatments. In Naju, Hampyeong, and Boseong, the highest number of adult H. parallela were caught in the control plots (n=45, n=39, and n=20, respectively), while the fewest were caught in the pheromone plus bio-insecticide plot (n=19) in Naju and in the combined treatment plot in Hampyeong (n=10). In Naju, the greatest leaf damage was observed in the control (66%), and in all locations (Naju, Boseong, and Hampyeong), the least damage occurred in the combined treatment plots (42%, 36%, and 24%, respectively). Regarding the tree canopy, the greatest leaf damage was observed in the upper canopy, and less damage was observed in the lower canopy. These results demonstrate that the combination of sex pheromone traps and bio-insecticides can be used to manage H. parallela in organic pear orchards.