A northern range extension of a Canadian species of special concern, Dielis pilipes (Hymenoptera: Scoliidae), in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia

The only known Canadian records of the yellow scarab hunter wasp, Dielis pilipes (Saussure), are from the southern Okanagan and Similkameen valleys of British Columbia. We report a 25-kilometre northern range extension of the species, collected in an unmanaged agricultural field in Summerland, BC. This finding is of conservation importance and has implications for natural biological control of ten-lined June beetles (Polyphylla decemlineata (Say) and P. crinita LeConte), incidental agricultural pests in the Okanagan.

Shifting Prevalence of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes in Orchards and Vineyards of the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Fruit production in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia is dominated by apple, sweet cherry, and wine grape. The relative importance of sweet cherry and grape has increased in recent decades, but little was known of the plant-parasitic nematodes associated with those crops. Soil samples analyzed for plant-parasitic nematodes were collected from a total of 39 apple orchards, 61 cherry orchards, and 57 vineyards; most were collected in 2018, but 36 cherry orchards were sampled in 2012. Soil properties were also assessed and related to nematode population densities. Nematode genera of potential significance were, in order of prevalence, Pratylenchus, Mesocriconema, Xiphinema, Paratylenchus, Paratrichodorus, Hemicycliophora, and Meloidogyne. Pratylenchus were found in 79, 98, and 81% of the apple, cherry, and grape plantings, respectively; Mesocriconema were found in 51, 79, and 82%; and Xiphinema were found in 59, 51, and 77%. Population densities of the three dominant genera were influenced more by soil texture than any other soil characteristics, with Pratylenchus being negatively correlated with percentage clay, Mesocriconema positively correlated with percentage sand, and Xiphinema positively correlated with percentage silt. The high prevalence of Mesocriconema in cherry orchards and vineyards in this region is significant because Mesocriconema is known to be an important pest of other Prunus crop species and grapevines in other regions. This study therefore provides a rationale for increasing grower awareness and research efforts on the impacts and management of Mesocriconema and other plant-parasitic nematodes in orchards and vineyards in the region.

Rural Food and Wine Tourism in Canada’s South Okanagan Valley: Transformations for Food Sovereignty?

This interdisciplinary research analyses the relationships between food sovereignty principles and food and wine tourism in rural contexts by asking how rural tourism stakeholders understand these concepts, mobilize the interrelationships, and to what purpose. Wine and food tourism is one of the fastest-growing rural tourism niches, with effects on the orientation of food systems, the livelihoods of producers, the viability of rural communities, and the biophysical environment. Secondary research and semi-structured interviews provide insights into how qualities of food sovereignty transitions are conceptualized, recognized, developed, supported, and promoted in the case of British Columbia’s South Okanagan Valley. An appreciative approach was used because this research aims to understand rural food and wine tourism’s potential contribution to food sovereignty. Although the term ‘food sovereignty’ did not resonate for most participants, qualities of a transition towards food sovereignty such as reorienting agriculture, food processing and consumption to the local region, supporting rural economies and environmental sustainability were considered integral to rural food tourism. Participants saw future opportunities for rural food and wine tourism to serve broader transformative purposes that would benefit locals, visitors, and the environment. Research results could be used to inspire critical academic, community and policy dialogue about food sovereignty in wine and food tourism destinations.

Effects of urbanization and nest box design on reproduction vary by species in three cavity-nesting passerines in the Okanagan Valley

Artificial nest boxes provide an important resource for secondary cavity-nesting passerines, whose populations may be limited by the availability of nesting sites. However, previous studies have demonstrated that the design and placement of boxes may affect the reproductive success of the birds that use them. In this study, we asked whether the habitat surrounding a nest box or the type of box influenced reproduction in three cavity-nesting passerines. We studied western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana Swainson, 1832), mountain bluebirds (S. currucoides Bechstein, 1798), and tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor Vieillot, 1808) breeding in artificial nest boxes at sites across 70 km of the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Sites varied in their degree of urbanization, from relatively undisturbed ranchland, to cultivated vineyards, to frequently disturbed ‘suburban’ habitat, and boxes varied in type of entrance (slot or hole). Western bluebirds nested earlier in vineyards, and tree swallows produced significantly fewer fledglings in suburban habitat. In addition, tree swallows nested earlier and produced more fledglings in slot boxes. Our results suggest that conservation actions for cavity-nesting passerines may depend on the target species, which in turn should dictate the appropriate box type and habitat when erecting or replacing nest boxes.

How much does the host matter to the parasitoid? Distribution of Eurytoma (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) species amongst two locally co-occurring gall-inducing hosts in the genus Diplolepis (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae)

Gall wasps in the cynipid genus Diplolepis Geoffroy (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) attack various species of native and introduced roses in Canada. Although gall forms are diverse, gall wasps are parasitised by highly concordant complexes of parasitoids and inquilines. Many species of gall wasps attack the same host plants and develop over the same periods in the season, suggesting that opportunistic parasitoids may be exploiting a range of hosts rather than specialising. We sampled larvae of Eurytoma Illiger (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) from galls of D. variabilis (Bassett) and D. rosaefolii (Cockerell), gall inducers that develop fairly synchronously late in the growing season on leaves of Rosa woodsii Lindl. (Rosaceae) in the Okanagan Valley of central British Columbia, Canada. Galls were sampled at five different sites along a gradient from the north end of the valley to the Canada–United States border, a distance of 100 km. We extracted DNA, then amplified and sequenced the cytochrome b segment for each Eurytoma larva. We identified two well-supported clades that were differentiated by neither sampling location nor host. Instead, at least two species of Eurytoma, E. imminuta Bugbee and E. longavena Bugbee, exist at these localities, and both exploit at least two of the Diplolepis hosts found at these sites.

Effects of Social Media on Enotourism. Two Cases Study: Okanagan Valley (Canada) and Somontano (Spain)

The aim of this article is to analyze the social media effects on enotourism. Two territories of similar extension and with historical coincidences in their development have been selected: the Okanagan Valley, Canada, and the region of Somontano, Spain. Methodologically, an analysis of the content on Twitter has been performed, collecting 1377 tweets. The conclusion is that wineries create sentimental and experiential links with the users, avoiding commercial communications. Specifically, Okanagan wineries establish a relevant conversation network on Twitter based on the high percentage of responses, which is 31.3%, but this is not so in the case of Somontano, which is 12.8%. The tourist attractions most used to create a bond are the wine landscape and the gastronomy in the case of both territories. The tourism sustainability variable remains a minor matter in the emission of messages on Twitter.

Monitoring of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Okanagan Valley vineyards, British Columbia, Canada, and assessment of damage to table and wine grapes (Vitaceae)

Spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), has become a serious pest of soft fruit in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada since its detection in 2009. The study was conducted to determine the distribution of D. suzukii and damage levels in grapes. Apple cider vinegar-baited traps placed in table and wine grape (Vitis vinifera Linnaeus; Vitaceae) vineyards during 2011–2013 demonstrated that D. suzukii was numerous in all sites, with earliest emergence and highest numbers recorded in 2013. Drosophila suzukii were reared from intact and damaged table grapes and damaged wine grapes collected from the field, but not from intact wine grapes. Drosophila suzukii were reared in low numbers in 2011 from intact fruit of 11 wine grape cultivars exposed artificially in the laboratory. Susceptibility of intact wine grapes under laboratory conditions in 2011 when sour rot was widespread might relate in part to undetected infections of berries due to weather conditions. Identification of Drosophila Fallén species revealed that D. suzukii comprised a small portion of the total. Our results demonstrate that healthy wine grapes in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia are largely undamaged by D. suzukii, while certain table grape cultivars should be protected from attack.

The Uncertain Participatory Geoweb

Communities in the Okanagan Valley, Canada are increasingly under threat from forest fires due to climate change and expanding urban development into fire interface zones. The effects of forest fires are not always quantifiable ‘hard' impacts. The fluid and chaotic ‘soft' impacts can have a profound effect on the collective consciousness of the people living close to those fires. To make sense of these impacts and understand where and when these forest fires have taken place, authors developed and implemented a participatory geoweb tool to support citizen-to-citizen dialogue and tell the stories of these impacts. The tool was launched in 2014. This chapter explores the interlinked ‘chaos' that exists between forest fires, volunteered geographic information, and the participatory geoweb. It further examines how academics and practitioners understand the post-project and longer-term impact of participatory geoweb projects and reflects on how the contemporary state of its practice contributes to transformative social change.