To the start of the pipfruit keys

To the start of the stonefruit keys

A GUIDE TO THE KEYS

1. There are keys for pipfruit and stonefruit. They are designed for optimum clarity and ease of use with a screen setting of 800 x 600 and Arial font.
2. Within each crop, two separate keys are provided, one for the insects found in orchards and one for the damage caused by pests. They are constructed like a family tree and you move down the tree as you choose the options presented to you.
3. Options for moving forward in the key (down the tree) are presented as highlighted words or as pictures or drawings which you can select. As you move your mouse, the arrow will change to a hand wherever these options occur and a lefthand click of the mouse will select that option.
4. When you click on colour pictures, you will either be presented with more pictures or a blow-up of the picture in front of you. Clicking on the bigger picture usually returns you to the smaller one.
5. There are several ways of moving backwards in the key:
   • The first and most common way is to click on this symbol . This takes you one step back up the tree but is different to the "back" button in your browser, which will reverse the step which you have just taken, regardless of what step that was.
   • Another is to click on bold highlighted text. This is used at the beginning of the key, before colour images appear.
   • Thirdly, if you feel lost in either of the keys, left-clicking on this symbol will return you to the start.
6. The two keys within each crop are linked so that:
   • you can view the damage caused by an insect you have found, or
   • view the insect which causes the damage which you have found.
     Clicking on this symbol will take you to the other key.

   The insect key
   

7. The insect key does not include all insects ever found in orchards but concentrates on pest and beneficial species. It also includes some overseas pests and beneficial species which are important in orchards.
8. When you have used the key to identify an insect, you will usually be presented with an option to look at other stages of the same insect. Clicking on this symbol and/or the associated word (e.g. egg) will take you to pictures of that stage.

   The damage key
   

9. Pictures of the damage by each pest are accompanied by descriptive text. Clicking on the highlighted words in the text enable you to see the other kinds of damage caused by the pest.

   Future development
   

10. It has not yet been possible to include pictures of all the images required for the key. These will be added as they become available. In the meantime, you will come across blank green images in place of them.
11. The keys are being linked to information on the life cycles, ecology, and management of orchard insects. At this stage sixteen examples only are included to illustrate the future development of the project. At present, these refer to pest management in pipfruit but much of the ecological and biological information is also applicable to stonefruit orchards.Where you see this symbol in the insect and damage keys, you can click on it to transfer to the information sections. Similarly, when you are in the main information menu for an insect, you can transfer to that insect or its damage in the Keys by clicking on insect or damage.