Thrips are one of the most damaging and economically costly pests in agricultural crops. Thrips parvispinus is an invasive species which has recently spread across Europe. It is a polyphagous pest that infests both vegetable and ornamental crops. At present, the use of biological control against T. parvispinus is at its infancy. Here, we tested the potential of predatory mites as biocontrol agents of T. parvispinus . We evalua...

The enemy release hypothesis underpins classical (or importation) biocontrol as a management technique for invasive species. Classical biocontrol has had resounding success when prospective control agents have been subject to appropriate screening before release. Occasionally, however, natural enemies have been reunited with their hosts accidentally. Such adventive agents may provide effective control but have also avoided the...

Pre-release efficacy assessments (PREA) can be used to prioritise the most damaging candidate agents for further studies in biological control programmes against invasive alien plants. This study assessed the efficacy of various potential enemies of Trichocereus spachianus (Riccob.) (Caryophyllales: Cactaceae), an invasive cactus in South Africa, in order to prioritise the most damaging candidates for further studies, includin...

Scymnus nubilus Mulsant and Coccinella undecimpunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are two generalist aphidophagous predators abundant in herbaceous habitats. C. undecimpuctata , a larger species, lays its eggs in uncovered clusters, whereas S. nubilus , a tiny species , lays its eggs singly and, possibly, in concealed sites. Reproductive strategies in ladybirds seem to be adaptive, allowing the co-occurrence of both predat...

The two egg parasitoids Enoggera nassaui (Girault) and Neopolycystus insectifurax Girault (both Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) are biological control agents of the eucalyptus-defoliating paropsine leaf beetle Paropsis charybdis Stål (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), an invasive species in New Zealand. Recently another leaf beetle, Paropsisterna cloelia (Stål) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), has established in New Zealand, causing defoliat...

Despite reports of arthropods successfully controlling plant diseases, this strategy is still underexplored in biological disease management. Iolinids are omnivorous predatory mites that occur naturally on tomato plants and are one of the most promising natural enemies for control of the tomato pest Aculops lycopersici (Acari: Eriophyidae). They also feed on fungi and have been demonstrated to control powdery mildew infections...

Aphis fabae Scopoli and Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are economically important pests of sugar beet. Natural enemies have potential for pest regulation. However their contribution to the control of the two sugar beet aphids is poorly understood. To elucidate the trophic relationships, we selected three aphid predators for molecular gut content analysis: two generalists Cantharis lateralis L. (Coleoptera: Cantha...

The tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta is a major pest threatening global tomato production, particularly in the Mediterranean basin. Biological control strategies using predators and parasitoids, such as the braconid parasitoid , Dolichogenidea gelechiidivoris , have been developed, yet efficient field sampling methods for D. gelechiidivoris are lacking. This study evaluates improved monitoring techniques, including yellow sticky...

Aphids are pests that cause major economic losses to growers on a global scale. Current management strategies rely heavily on pesticides, but some effective pesticides are being withdrawn, and the efficiency of remaining pesticides is decreasing, as aphids build up resistance. Biological control using predators can provide an important sustainable alternative to pesticides under some circumstances, and the deliberate introduct...

Microorganisms with beneficial traits for protection of plants against pest and diseases and for biostimulation of plants have been selected amongst the huge diversity of microorganisms naturally occurring in the environment. The use of microbial products has to be approved by governmental authorities before they can be applied in the EU. Frameworks of regulations have been developed with particular emphasis on risk assessment...

The invasive avian vampire fly, Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae), poses a significant threat to Darwin's Finches and other endemic bird species in the Galapagos Islands, and the importation of specialized natural enemies is a promising strategy for its long-term control. The parasitoid Conura annulifera (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) has received the most attention as a potential biological control agent thus far, including st...