Abstract
The armoured scale insects Acutaspis umbonifera (Newstead), Pinnaspis buxi (Bouché) (Homoptera: Diaspididae) and the soft scale insects Saissetia coffeae (Walker) and Coccus hesperidum L. (Homoptera: Coccidae) were tested as suitable prey for the ladybird Chilocorus nigritus (F.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), with a view to using the beetle as a biological control agent in UK glasshouses. C. nigritus larvae were able to complete development on all prey species tested and adults were also able to mature eggs on P. buxi, S. coffeae and C. hesperidum (A. umbonifera was not tested in this respect). Prey in ornamental glasshouses and interior landscapes are often diverse and patchily distributed. Thus the effect on the beetle larvae of switching between diaspidid and coccid prey was also examined. Larvae were able to switch from feeding on C. hesperidum to Abgrallaspis cyanophylli (Signoret) (Homoptera: Diaspididae) and vice versa with only minor detrimental effects when compared to those beetles reared throughout on one prey species. Introductions of C. nigritus as eggs, rather than adults are indicated for the control of soft scale species.
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Acknowledgements
The work was carried out at Wye College and funded by the former U.K. Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. We thank Dr Trudy Watt for statistical advice, Jon Varley and Sue Stickels for technical help and Dr A.I. Mohyuddin of the International Institute of Biological Control, Rawalpindi for providing the nucleus stock of C. nigritus. We also thank Mr Mike Marsh of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Mr Ivor Stokes, former Curator of the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, for providing the initial diaspidid inocula.
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Ponsonby, D.J., Copland, M.J.W. Aspects of prey relations in the coccidophagous ladybird Chilocorus nigritus relevant to its use as a biological control agent of scale insects in temperate glasshouses. BioControl 52, 629–640 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-006-9066-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-006-9066-9