Richard Prokopy, 68; Entomologist Studied Fruit Tree Pests

Richard Prokopy, 68, an entomologist who studied insects that destroy apple crops and helped develop a decoy designed to kill apple maggot flies without spraying pesticide, died May 14 of cardiopulmonary arrest in Greenfield, Mass.

Prokopy, a professor of entomology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, specialized in fruit tree insects -- specifically those that attack apple trees -- and ecological approaches to pest management. The decoy he helped develop consists of an apple-sized paint- and pesticide-covered plastic sphere that becomes coated with a sugary substance when it rains, luring the flies to their deaths.

Other insects he studied included the plum curculio, the tarnished plant bug and the European apple sawfly.

Born in Danbury, Conn., Prokopy earned his doctorate from Cornell University and received a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Fulbright research award. He kept an apple orchard at his home in Conway, Mass.