The Seasonal History of the White Peach Scale (Homoptera: Diaspididae) and its Hymenopteran Natural Enemies in North Carolina

Abstract

Hymenopteran parasites (adults) and mobile stages (crawlers, adult males) of white peach scale, Pseudaulacaspis pentagona (Targioni-Tozzetti), were monitored biweekly (1986) or weekly (1987) in a peach orchard from April to December. The scale exhibited three peaks of crawler emergence, and a partial fourth generation was observed in both years. Three species of hymenopteran parasites consistently collected from traps were the primary parasites Encarsia berlesi (Howard) and Aphytis proclia (Walker), and the hyperparasite Marietta carnesi (Howard). Populations of all three parasites showed seasonal peaks of activity that differed in the two years of this study. Winter samples taken in 1985, and from 1987 through 1989 indicated differences between years in the ratio of parasites to hyperparasites overwintering.