Coccophagus scutellaris(Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae): A Highly Effective Biological Control Agent of Soft Scale Insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae) in Egypt

Abstract

About 953000 individuals of the cosmopolitan parasitoid,Coccophagus scutellaris(Dalman) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), were released and evaluated during 2009-2010 for the control of the following soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae) infesting the following economic crops in Egypt:Ceroplastes ruscion citrus in Beni Seuf,Ceroplastes floridensisComstock on citrus in Gharbiya,Coccus hesperidumL. on guava in Giza,Pulvinaria floccifera(Westwood) on mango in Sharqiya,Pulvinaria psidiiMaskell on mango in Ismailia,Saissetia coffeae(Walker) on olive in Marsa Matruh, andSaissetia oleae(Oliver) on olive in the Northern Coast. The population ofC. scutellarisshowed a significant correlation with the build up of the population of the soft scale insects population in all of the release sites studied. The maximum rate of parasitism of the other species of parasitoids associated with soft scale insects at the release sites decreased after the release ofC. scutellaris.