Acute and Sublethal Effects of a Neem Insecticide on the Commercial Biological Control Agents Phytoseiulus persimilis and Amblyseius cucumeris (Acari: Phytoseiidae) and Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Kevin M. Spollen; Murray B. Isman

doi:10.1093/jee/89.6.1379

Efficacy of Phytoseiulus persimilis and Amblyseius swirskii for integrated pest management for greenhouse cucumbers under Mediterranean environmental conditions

The Canadian Entomologist ◽

10.4039/tce.2021.15 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

André Abou-Haidar ◽

Patil Tawidian ◽

Hana Sobh ◽

Margaret Skinner ◽

Bruce Parker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Integrated Pest Management ◽

Pest Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Phytoseiulus Persimilis ◽

Amblyseius Swirskii ◽

Biological Control Agents ◽

Pest Population ◽

Greenhouse Cucumber ◽

Population Suppression

Abstract The greenhouse cucumber pests, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae), are major threats to the production of greenhouse cucumbers (Cucurbitaceae) in Lebanon. The development of insecticide resistance by these pests has prompted the use of alternative and sustainable pest management strategies. In this study, we used integrated pest management strategies, including the release of the biological control agents, Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) and Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae), to control whitefly, thrips, and two-spotted spider mite populations on greenhouse cucumber plants in two commercial production sites (sites A and B). We also compared the efficacy of pest population suppression using the integrated pest management strategy with that of chemical pest control. Our results show that biological control effectively maintains the cucumber pest populations below the economic threshold when coupled with additional integrated pest management measures. In addition, we show that biological control agents were equally or more effective in pest population suppression compared to eight and 12 insecticidal and acaricidal sprays performed in the control greenhouses at sites A and B, respectively. Altogether, our results show the efficacy of adopting integrated pest management and biological control for pest population suppression in greenhouse cucumber production under Mediterranean environmental conditions.

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Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Two Commercial Insecticides on Egg Parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) of Green Stink Bugs (Hem: Pentatomidae)

Journal of Economic Entomology ◽

10.1093/jee/toaa232 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Fateme Ranjbar ◽

Stuart Reitz ◽

M Amin Jalali ◽

Mahdi Ziaaddini ◽

Hamzeh Izadi

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Integrated Pest Management ◽

Pest Management ◽

Sublethal Effects ◽

Egg Parasitoids ◽

Type Ii ◽

Pistacia Vera ◽

Stink Bugs ◽

Biological Control Agents ◽

Lambda Cyhalothrin

Abstract Pistacia vera L. is one of the most important horticultural crops in Iran. The stink bugs Acrosternum arabicum and Brachynema germari are two of the key pests that cause significant direct and indirect damage on Pistacia vera. Egg parasitoids have been considered as potential biological control agents of pistachio green stink bugs. Among them, Trissolcus semistriatus and Psix saccharicola are the most abundant and efficient parasitoid for A. arabicum in pistachio orchards. In this study, we assessed lethal and sublethal effects of two commonly used insecticide products (fenitrothion and a binary mixture of lambda-cyhalothrin + thiamethoxam) on these two parasitoid wasps under laboratory conditions. The median lethal concentration (LC50) values for fenitrothion and thiamethoxam + lambda-cyhalothrin in P. saccharicola and T. semistriatus were estimated as 1.03, 0.48 and 0.87, 0.98 mg a.i./liter, respectively. In terms of sublethal effects, insecticide treatments altered the type of functional response from type III to type II in T. semistriatus. However, P. saccharicola exhibited a type II functional to density of A. arabicum for all treatments, although attack rates were lower for insecticide-exposed wasps while handling times increased. Our results show that sublethal effects of insecticides further reduce the efficacy of biological control agents. Effective integrated pest management programs should avoid antagonistic interactions between chemical and biological control methods. The results of this study provide useful information to develop comprehensive integrated pest management programs for stink bugs in pistachio orchards.

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Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Chlorpyrifos on Biological Traits and Feeding of the Aphidophagous Predator Harmonia axyridis

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects11080491 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 491

Author(s):

Muhammad Asim Rasheed ◽

Muhammad Musa Khan ◽

Muhammad Hafeez ◽

Jing Zhao ◽

Yasir Islam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Population Growth ◽

Harmonia Axyridis ◽

Sublethal Effects ◽

Developmental Period ◽

Intrinsic Rate Of Increase ◽

Biological Traits ◽

Biological Control Agents ◽

Sublethal Concentrations ◽

Third Instar Larvae

Except of pest control, insecticides have shown adverse effects on natural enemies as well. Thus, risk assessment of pesticides for biological control agents is critical for effective use in integrated pest management (IPM) schemes. In the present study, the lethal and sublethal effects of chlorpyrifos, a commonly used insecticide that may negatively affect biological control agents, were evaluated on a non-target predator, the Asian ladybeetle Harmonia axyridis. Previous studies have reported on lethal concentrations, but the effects of sublethal concentrations remain unclear. Lethal and sublethal concentrations of chlorpyrifos were applied to third instar larvae of H. axyridis, and different growth and developmental parameters were measured. Treatment with LC10 (4.62 mg a.i. L−1) significantly shortened the developmental period of third instar larvae, whereas it significantly prolonged those of fourth instar larvae and pupa. Treatment with LC30 (9.59 mg a.i. L−1) significantly increased the larval and pupal developmental period compared with that of the control, whereas feeding potential, female fecundity, and adult longevity significantly decreased after LC10 and LC30 treatment. The pre-oviposition period significantly increased compared with that of the control. Population growth parameters, the finite (λ) and intrinsic rate of increase (r) and the net reproductive rate (R0), decreased following exposure to sublethal concentrations of chlorpyrifos. According to the results, the use of chlorpyrifos in IPM schemes requires further research because even sublethal concentrations of this insecticide were harmful to H. axyridis population growth.

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Evaluation of Biological Control Agent Shipments from Three United States Suppliers

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.6.3.233 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 233-237 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

V. Bruce Steward ◽

Janet L. Kintz ◽

Tracy A. Horner

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Phytoseiulus Persimilis ◽

Control Agent ◽

Biological Control Agents ◽

Encarsia Formosa ◽

Cryptolaemus Montrouzieri ◽

Quality Product ◽

The Cost ◽

High Quality Product

Biological control agents were ordered from three U.S. suppliers three times during 1994 and were evaluated (total of nine orders evaluated). Biological control agents evaluated were a whitefly parasitoid [Encarsia formosa Gahan (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)], mealybug destroyer [Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)], insidious flower bug [Orius insidiosus (Say) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae)], and a predatory mite [Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae)]. Arrival time, packaging methods, cost, quality, and quantity for each shipment were recorded. Six of the nine orders evaluated did not arrive by the date promised by the supplier. Most biological control agents were shipped in styrofoam boxes; the method by which they were packed in the box differed among suppliers. The cost of each biological control agent order ranged from $260.64 to $327.03 and varied with the same supplier. The number of viable E. formosa emerging ranged from 745 to 4901; two of the nine orders met the quota of 2000 live wasps. The total number of live C. montrouzieri received ranged from 234 to 288; five orders contained the expected number of 250 live beetles. For the expected order of 1000 O. insidiosus, quantities of live insects ranged from 423 to 1333; three orders contained at least the expected amount. The number of live P. persimilis ranged from 199 to 4447. Three orders contained the targeted amount of 2000. Our findings indicate that there are problems with the quantity of viable biological control agents being shipped. To build consumer confidence in the potential effectiveness of biological control, suppliers and producers of biological control agents must address ways to ensure that the consumer receives a high-quality product, in quantity and viability.

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Population dynamics of the thrips predators Amblyseius mckenziei and Amblyseius cucumeris (Acarina: Phytoseiidae) on sweet pepper.

Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.18174/njas.v36i3.16676 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 247-252

Author(s):

P.M.J. Ramakers

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Population Dynamics ◽

Sweet Pepper ◽

Thrips Tabaci ◽

Biological Control Agents ◽

Population Densities ◽

Neoseiulus Cucumeris ◽

Phytoseiid Mites ◽

Amblyseius Cucumeris ◽

Mixed Populations

The population dynamics of 2 predacious phytoseiid mites as potential biological control agents against thrips were investigated on sweet peppers [Capsicum annuum] in a greenhouse in the Netherlands, where the prey was predominantly a spontaneous outbreak of Thrips tabaci. Amblyseius cucumeris [Neoseiulus cucumeris] established more easily and reached higher population densities than A. mckenziei. Mixed populations of both predators were observed for several generations, but eventually A. mckenziei was superseded by N. cucumeris. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)

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Yellow Brazilian Pepper-tree Leaf Galler (suggested common name) Calophya latiforceps Burckhardt (Insecta: Hemiptera: Calophyidae: Calophyinae)

EDIS ◽

10.32473/edis-in1186-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 (6) ◽

Author(s):

James P. Cuda ◽

Patricia Prade ◽

Carey R. Minteer-Killian

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

North America ◽

Natural Enemies ◽

Host Plants ◽

Classical Biological Control ◽

Biological Control Agents ◽

Pepper Tree ◽

Brazilian Pepper ◽

Close Relatives ◽

Tree Leaf

In the late 1970s, Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi (Sapindales: Anacardiaceae), was targeted for classical biological control in Florida because its invasive properties (see Host Plants) are consistent with escape from natural enemies (Williams 1954), and there are no native Schinus spp. in North America. The lack of native close relatives should minimize the risk of damage to non-target plants from introduced biological control agents (Pemberton 2000). [...]

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