Developmental time, parasitism, emergence, longevity, fecundity and demographic parameters of population of Encarsia bimaculata Heraty and Polaszek (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a parasitoid attacking Bemisia tabaci (biotype B) (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) infesting soybean, Glyine max L. (Merr), cowpea, Vigna unguiulata L. and garden bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L. (Fabeles: Fabaceae) were q...

Although density-dependent benefits to hemipterans from ant tending have been measured many times, few studies have focused on integrated effects such as interactions between ant tending, natural enemy density, and hemipteran density. In this study, we tested whether the invasive mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis is affected by tending by ghost ants (Tapinoma melanocephalum), the presence of para...

The effectiveness of inundative releases of the parasitoid Encarsia formosa for control of Bemisia argentifolii on poinsettia was determined in replicated experimental greenhouses. We evaluated two release rates of E. formosa: a low release rate (1 wasp/plant/week, released in two greenhouses, in spring 1995) and a high release rate (3 wasps/plant/week, released in two greenhouses, in fall 1993...

The diamondback moth (DBM) Plutella xylostella (L.) has traditionally been managed using synthetic insecticides. However, the increasing resistance of DBM to insecticides offers an impetus to practice integrated pest management (IPM) strategies by exploiting its natural enemies such as pathogens, parasitoids, and predators. Nevertheless, the interactions between pathogens and parasitoids and/or...

Literature studies in North America (US and Canada), Europe, and Asia (particularly Russia, China, Japan, and the Korean peninsula) were reviewed to identify parasitoid guilds associated with Agrilus woodborers. There are at least 12 species of hymenopteran parasitoids attacking eggs of Agrilus beetles and 56 species (36 genera), attacking Agrilus larvae infesting various host plants in North A...

Brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) can substantially affect host species’ reproductive success. The “host-activity” hypothesis suggests that parasites eavesdrop on conspicuous behaviors to locate and parasitize hosts, and several studies of cowbird hosts support this hypothesis. In contrast, a recent study of the Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) reported a n...

The relative importance of bottom-up or top-down forces has been mainly studied for herbivores but rarely for pollinators. Habitat fragmentation might change driving forces of population dynamics by reducing the area of resource-providing habitats, disrupting habitat connectivity, and affecting natural enemies more than their host species. We studied spatial and temporal population dynamics of ...

Laboratory studies were conducted to determine the effect of temperature and cold storage on the performance of Tetrastichus brontispae (Ferriere) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), one of the major endoparasitoids against coconut hispine beetle, Brontispa longissima (Gestro) (Coleptera: Chrysomelidae). The results revealed that T. brontispae could successfully parasitize host pupae under all seven tes...

We monitored the breeding success of the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) in four reed habitats (e. g. clay pits, marsh and fishponds, small canals and large canals) in northwestern Vojvodina (Serbia) between 2009 and 2011 (three breeding seasons). A total of 596 Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) nests were found and monitored. The overall parasitism rate for the study area was 0.12...