Is a Key Overwintering Plant for Aphids in the Mediterranean Region.

The reproduction of aphids depends to a great extent on their host plants, an integration that impacts on the successful expansion of overwintering populations. Therefore, a survey was conducted to evaluate the globally distributed as an overwintering host of economically important aphid species, their parasitoids and hyperparasitoids in the southern and western regions of Turkey from November to March in 2006 to 2013. During this survey, 395 samples of were collected with 25 aphid species recorded. Among aphids that feed on this host, , , , , , , and were the most frequently recorded. In total, 10,761 individual parasitoids were identified. , , , , , and were the most abundant aphidiines that emerged from the aphids collected from . spp. (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea), Chalcidoidea (unidentified at genus level), and spp. (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronoidea) were identified as hyperparasitoids on the parasitoids. These findings indicate that is a key non-agricultural plant that significantly contributes to the overwintering of numerous aphids and their parasitoids, which should be given serious consideration when biological control strategies are designed.