In the framework of biological control, the selection of effective natural enemies determines the final pest control. Thus, the genetic improvement of biocontrol agents could enhance the efficiency of biocontrol programs. Although promising, this approach has rarely been applied in this field. At the intraspecific level, hybridization between divergent populations of biocontrol agents is expect...

Augmentative biological control in outdoor cropping systems is often considered to be ineffective. High release rates are often needed for effective control and may be so frequently required that they become prohibitively expensive, especially when natural enemies are purchased from commercial suppliers. Natural enemies released argumentatively may provide control levels that are considered too...

learning host or prey-related olfactory cues may lead to increase efficiency and foraging capacity of biocontrol agents such as trichogramma egg parasitoid wasps in nature. the egg parasitoids, trichogramma species (hym., chalcidoidea, trichogrammatidae), are most commonly and important biocontrol agents that have successfully been utilized against several lepidopteran pests, especially through...

trichogramma ingricum sorokina, 1984, an egg parasitoid, only known from russia (st. petersburg), here is newly recorded from northern iranian provinces including west and east azarbaijan and mazandaran. the localities and hosts are as follows: tabriz, on eggs of cydia pomonella (l.); urmia (chubtarash, najafabad-e gharebagh, tasmalu, ghulenji), on eggs of c. pomonella and lobesia botrana den &...

Trichogramma species (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) are haplo-diploid egg parasitoids that are frequently used as biological control agents against lepidopteran pests. These wasps display two reproductive modes, including arrhenotoky (bisexuality) and thelytoky (unisexuality). Thelytokous forms are often associated with the presence of endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria. The use of thelytokous ...

Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) are extremely diverse with more than 23,000 species described and over 500,000 species estimated to exist. This is the first comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the superfamily based on a molecular analysis of 18S and 28S ribosomal gene regions for 19 families, 72 subfamilies, 343 genera and 649 species. The 56 outgroups are comprised of Ceraphronoidea and most pro...

Corn (Zea mays L.) is cultivated in large areas and considered one of the world’s major cereal crops. There are several arthropod pests that can reduce its production such as the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lep.: Noctuidae), which is considered to be the main pest for corn. Fall armyworm is primarily controlled by insecticides. The use of biological control agents to mana...

This paper is aimed to summarize the information available on the parasitoid complex of the European Grapevine Moth (EGVM), Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (Lepidoptera Tortricidae) in Italy. The list is the result of the consultation of a vast bibliography published in Italy for almost two hundred years, from 1828 to date. This allowed the clarification and correction of misunde...