The genus Encarsia Förster includes parasitoid species that are effective natural enemies of whitefly and armoured scale insect agricultural pests. Within this genus, several species groups have been recognized on the basis of morphological similarity, although their monophyly appears uncertain. It is often difficult to separate morphologically similar species, and there is evidence that some s...

A mixed species release of parasitoids is used to suppress outbreaks of tobacco whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae); however, this biocontrol may be inhibited by interspecific interactions. We investigated the effects of mixed releases of natural enemies of B. tabaci on predation rates, parasite performance and adult parasitoid emergence under greenhouse conditions. We tested the ...

Endoparasitic Hymenoptera vary in the extent to which they provision their eggs and thus in the degree to which they appear to rely on their hosts for resources during embryonic development. In this study, developmental rates were examined in two congeneric parasitoid species, Encarsia formosa and E. pergandiella, that provision their eggs to different degrees. E. formosa eggs are much larger t...

We experimentally examined the effects of elevated O₃ and whitefly herbivory on tomato volatiles, feeding and oviposition preferences of whiteflies and behavioural responses of Encarsia formosa to these emissions on two tomato genotypes, a wild-type (Wt) and a jasmonic acid (JA) defence-enhanced genotype (JA-OE, 35S). The O₃ level and whitefly herbivory significantly increased the total amount ...

In this study, we investigated the tritrophic interactions among a persistently transmitted plant virus, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), its insect vector, the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci, and a parasitoid, Encarsia formosa Gahan, one of the most extensively used biological control agents. As an emerging invasive pest worldwide, the two most damaging whiteflies are B. tabaci B an...

Under commercial poinsettia production conditions we compared two patterns of parasitoid release for the aphelinid whitefly parasitoid Eretmocerus eremicus Rose and Zolnerowich. We compared the currently used pattern of a fixed weekly release number (3 females per plant per week) to an experimental pattern in which more parasitoids were released early in the crop (wks 1-8), followed by a lower ...

The Featured Creatures collection provides in-depth profiles of insects, nematodes, arachnids and other organisms relevant to Florida. These are intended for the use interested laypersons with some knowledge biology as well academic audiences.

Market pressure is forcing New Zealand greenhouse tomato growers to shift from conventional to more environmentally-friendly pest control methods such as IPM (Integrated Pest Management). Growers can access IPM manuals, but these tend to provide generalized advice, which they find difficult to apply to their own situations. Alternatively, growers can use consultants to tailor IPM strategies to ...