Determination of overwintering insect (Arthropoda: Insecta) fauna in artificial wintering shelters in pomegranate orchards in Şanlıurfa province

Pomegranate, Punica granatum L. (Myrtales: Punicaceae), one of the perennial subtropical and tropical climate fruits, is an economically significant cultivated plant between the tropics and 40° latitudes on Earth. India, Iran, China, and Turkey are the leading producers of pomegranates worldwide. Besides being consumed fresh, pomegranates hold economic importance in various forms such as fruit juice, pomegranate molasses, pomegranate vinegar, pomegranate concentrate, jam, vinegar, dye, citric acid, raw material for animal feed production, and pharmaceutical industry. Numerous diseases and pests negatively affect the production in pomegranate orchards. Certain harmful insects belonging to the Insecta class cause substantial quality and yield losses in pomegranate orchards. In addition to these pests, there are numerous beneficial insect species present in pomegranate orchards as predators or parasitoids. Recognizing and preserving these beneficial insects is crucial within the scope of biological control to suppress the harmful pests. This study was conducted during the years 2021-2022 in pomegranate orchards in the Şanlıurfa province, aiming to determine the insect fauna Insecta class within the Arthropod phylum by utilizing artificial overwintering shelters made of hessian fabric and corrugated cardboard. Consequently, the overwintering behaviors of the harmful and beneficial species in pomegranate orchards were identified based on their taxa, along with which species had more abundant populations. The preferences of species from which order and family for overwintering shelters at different heights were also determined. As a result of the study, 45 insect species from 26 families belonging to 9 orders were identified. The determined insect species overwintering in pomegranate orchards in Şanlıurfa province were Oenopia conglobata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Hippodamia variegata (Goeze, 1777) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Hyperaspis quadrimaculata (Redtenbacher 1844) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Sitona lineatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Capnodis cariosa (Pallas, 1776) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Tribolium confusum (J. du. Val) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Lasioderma serricorne (F.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Deraeocoris flavilinea (A. Costa, 1862) (Hemiptera: Miridae), Deraeocoris serenus (Douglas & Scott, 1868) (Hemiptera: Miridae), ( Piezodorus lituratus (Fabricus, 1794) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), Dolycoris baccarum (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hemiptera,: Pentatomidae), Acrosternum milierii (Mulsant & Rey, 1866) (Hemiptera,: Pentatomidae), Acrosternum heegeri (Fieber, 1860) (Hemiptera,: Pentatomidae), Graphosoma sp. (de Laporte, 1832) (Hemiptera,: Pentatomidae), Liohryssus hyalinus (Fabricus, 1794) (Hemiptera: Rhopolidae), Nagusta goedelii (Kolenati, 1857) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Geocoris luridus (Fieber, 1844) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), Geocoris putonianus (Bergroth, 1892) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), Geocoris megacephalus (Rossi, 1790) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), Lygaeus equestris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), Oxycarenus pallens (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1850) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), Nysius cymoides (Spinola, 1837) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens, 1836) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), Schistocerca gregaria (Forskol, 1775) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), Dysgonia torrida (Guenee, 1852) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), Forficula auricularia (Linnaeus, 1758) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae). It has been determined that 10 of the diagnosed species (O. conglobata, H. variegata, H. quadrimaculata, C. carnea, F. auricularia, D. flavilinea, D. serenus, G. luridus, G. putonianus, and G. megacephalus) are important predator natural enemies in terms of biological control. Generally, artificial overwintering shelters constructed from corrugated cardboard were found to be more preferred compared to shelters created using hessian fabric, and it is recommended for pomegranate growers to establish artificial shelters from corrugated cardboard to support beneficial insect biodiversity.