A though nut to crack? Natural dynamics of antagonist communities affecting fitness of a nut tree pest insect in food forests

In food forests, food is produced in cooperation with nature. Food forests are ideal living labs to explore agro-ecological innovation. This research focuses on nut weevils (Curculio nucum), a serious pest in hazelnut orchards. How are nut weevils controlled in food forests? This research will characterize which entomopathogen and predator communities of nut weevils establish over time in food forests. It will perform field experiments to investigate whether a synergistic effect of these stressors is able to modify the fitness of this pest at various stages of its life cycle. Finally, it will compare the infestation rate in food forests to that in hazelnut orchards.