Ability of and Other Parasitoids and Predators to Control Populations in Raspberries in the Laboratory.

Insects

Institut de Recherche et de Développement en Agroenvironnement (IRDA), Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, QC J3V 0G7, Canada.

Published: March 2019

is an invasive pest and economic threat to berry crops in Europe and the Americas. Current methods of control of this pest rely primarily on frequent applications of insecticides; therefore, there is a need for alternative control methods to reduce insecticide reliance. In this study, we evaluated the biological control potential of three parasitoid wasps: , and , and four predators: , , and . Experiments were conducted for 15 days under controlled conditions in experimental arenas with females and raspberries, allowing for all life stages of to be available to natural enemies. Results showed the first evidence of 's ability to parasitize , resulting in a 40% reduction. , and were also efficient, reducing numbers by 49%, 43% and 32%, respectively. Predator preferences for each life stage were assessed. The clutch size, sex ratio and adult size variability of pupal parasitoids were also evaluated. This study expands the list of species that can effectively parasitize and provides new insights into the biological responses of to pupae.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6468634PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects10030068DOI Listing

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