EPF are sensitive to environmental conditions, espe-cially before penetrating their arthropod host. Wetherefore separated the data on temperature and RH intotwo parts: 5 days postinoculation (PI), i.e. the period dur-ing which fungal spores adhere, germinate and invade thehost, and the following 25 days (Table 1). The data collected200 cm above the ground were from a standard Stevensoninstrument shelter. The temperature measurements col-lected 5 cm above the ground were from a thermocouplekept unshaded at that height (including direct irradiation).All data were provided by the Israel Meteorological Service.The average minimal and maximal air tempera-tures (200 cm above the ground) during the winter(December–January) were 8.3–9.6◦C lower than during thesummer (June). The unshaded thermocouples, 5 cm abovethe ground, recorded even larger differences between max-imal summer and winter temperatures (Table 1).