Growers of organic tree fruit face challenges in controlling some pests more easily suppressed by broad-spectrum insecticides in conventionally managed orchards. In recent decades, there has been a move towards organically growing varieties normally reliant on synthetic chemical pesticides (e.g., Gala), often to meet retailer/consumer demands. This inevitably makes crop protection in organic orchards more challenging, as modern varieties can be less tolerant to pests. In addition, there have been substantial reductions in plant protection product (PPP) approvals, resulting in fewer chemical options available for integrated pest management (IPM)-maintained orchards. Conversely, the organic management of fruit tree pests involves many practices that could be successfully implemented in conventionally grown crops, but which are currently not. These practices could also be more widely used in IPM-maintained orchards, alleviating the reliance on broad-spectrum PPP. In this review, we evaluate organic practices, with a focus on those that could be incorporated into conventional apple and pear production. The topics cover cultural control, biological control, physical and pest modifications. While the pests discussed mainly affect European species, many of the methods could be used to target other global pests for more environmentally sustainable practices.

Acanalonia conica (Say, 1830), the first representative of the Nearctic planthopper family Acanaloniidae (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoroidea), introduced to Europe, is reported for the first time from multiple locations in Hungary. Diagnosis, detailed illustration of male genitalia and notes on ecology are provided along with the distributional records.

Our study reports the first occurrence of Zaprionus indianus Gupta, 1970 (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Hungary, representing the northernmost European record of this thermophilic species. Specimens were captured in October 2023 during a large-scale Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) monitoring program conducted in sweet cherry orchards in north-central Hungary. A total of five individuals (one female and four males) were caught at two different orchards 1 km apart, using modified pan and bottle traps baited with apple cider vinegar-based lures. No specimens were detected in the previous year (2022) or the following year (2024), which may indicate a transient population, though further monitoring would be required to confirm the lack of establishment. Although the overwintering of the species appears unlikely in Hungary, climate change may facilitate its future range expansion. Our findings highlight the importance of continuous monitoring of invasive drosophilids in Central Europe for better understanding their establishment potential and agricultural risks.