Aphid endoparasitic wasps including Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi are small and slender bodied beneficial insects. These three endoparasitic aphid wasps are commercially available as a mixture in a single package to target their different species specific host aphids that occur as a mixed population and cause a serious damage to many economically important crops grown in the greenhouses, fields, organic vegetable gardens and orchards.
- - Endoparasitic aphid wasps, Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi together are effective against following species of aphids
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Aphid wasp Aphelinus abdominalis specifically control following aphid species
- Alfalfa aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum
- Bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi
- California Laurel aphid, Euthoracaphis umbellulariae
- Cereal aphid, Sitobion avenae
- Cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii
- Green peach aphid, Myzus persicae
- Melon aphid, Aphis gossypii
- Potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae
Aphid wasp Aphidius colemani specifically control following aphid species
- Cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii
- Green peach aphid, Myzus persicae
- Melon aphid, Aphis gossypii
Aphid wasp Aphidius ervi specifically control following aphid species
- Glasshouse potato aphid, Aulacorthum solani (Host crops: Potatoes, sweet pepper etc)
- Green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Host crops: Potatoes, sweet pepper etc)
- Pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Host crops: Alfalfa, Clover, peas)
- Potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Host crops: 200 different plants including potatoes)
- + Key factors for effectiveness of endoparasitic aphid wasps,Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi
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- For effective control of aphids, release 2-5 adults of three endoparasitc aphid wasps (Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi) per 10 square feet of aphid infested area.
- Three endoparasitic aphid wasps including Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi adults are very active searchers of their aphid hosts even at very low population densities.
- Three Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi use volatile chemical cues released from host-aphid-damaged plants to located colonies of host aphids.
- Once Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi wasps find their specific host aphid colony, they use both visual and olfactory cues to find an appropriate size aphid to lay eggs.
- When females of three Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi wasps find an appropriate size aphid, they use their ovipositors to lay a single egg inside the aphid host.
- Then eggs hatch inside the aphid and the hatched larvae start feeding and developing into pupae and then into adult.
- This parasitized aphid then bloat, dies and its body becomes crispy that referred to as mummy, which is typically golden to brown or black in color.
- After 14- 15 days, adult wasps will start emerging from mummies and life cycle continues.
- If ants are present on aphid infested plants in your garden or greenhouse, control them first before releasing three parasitic wasps including Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi as ants will defend aphids from predators and parasites to protect their honeydew food. If ants are not controlled, effectiveness of wasps as a parasite will be reduced.
- Three wasps including Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi together performs better against aphids when aphid population is at very low level in the garden.
- As adults of all the three wasps including Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi are attracted to yellow sticky traps and get killed before they can parasitize aphids by laying eggs in aphid body, remove all the yellow sticky traps used for whitefly control before releasing wasps in your gardens, greenhouse, fields and orchards.
- The preventive applications of three wasps including Aphelinus abdominalis,Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi together will prevent out-break of certain species of aphids.
- + How Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi are applied in the greenhouses or fields
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Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi wasps are generally shipped as mixture of ready-to-use adults in small vials.
- When package is arrived and you are not ready to release wasps in your garden, store packages in a cool place and avoid direct exposure to sunlight.
- It is always better to release these wasps in the field within 15-20 hours of their arrival or storage.
- As a preventive measure, release adult wasps by opening vials and walking slowly in the garden. Adult wasps should escape themselves from the vials.
- As a curative measure, wasp adults should be released directly in the colonies of aphids or in the heavily infested areas with aphids in the vegetable gardens, greenhouses or fields.
- Under favorable environmental conditions and if there is enough food around, these parasites may recycle continuously and help to keep the aphid population under economic threshold level.
- + How Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi wasps work in the greenhouses or fields
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Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi wasps are generally shipped as a mixture of ready-to-use adults in vials.
- When a mixture of Aphelinus abdominalis,Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi adults are released in the vegetable gardens, greenhouses or fields, they will be attracted to their specific aphid host colonies by responding to the smell of honeydews secreted by aphids on the infested plants or to the volatile chemicals from aphid damaged plants.
- When adult wasps come across to colonies of aphids, they will select a suitable size aphid using their antennae and vision to lays in aphid body.
- Once an appropriate size aphid is found, adult wasp using its ovipositor lay eggs inside aphid body.
- Wasp eggs hatch within the aphid body and hatched young larvae start feeding on the body content of aphid, complete its development and pupate within the aphid body.
- The parasitized dead aphids will then turn into crispy, gold to brown or black colored mummies.
- After 14- 15 days, adult wasps will start emerging from mummies, life cycle will continue and they will continue to suppress the population of host aphids that are responsible for causing economic damage to many crops grown in your gardens or fields.
- + Why you need a mixture of two endoparasitic wasps including Aphelinus abdominalis, Aphidius colemani and Aphidius ervi
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- they can reduce the crop damage by parasitizing and killing a variety of host species of aphids, which are responsible for the crop damage
- they can parasitize and kill all different stages of their specific aphid hosts
- they are able to actively search for their aphid hosts, parasitize and kill them
- they can reproduce and continue their life cycle on aphids in your garden after first application
- they are commercially available and easy to apply in the greenhouses or fields
- + Why parasitic wasps are safer than traditional pesticides
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- they do not cause damage to plants
- they can be used and applied around children and pets
- they do not cause any harm to the personnel involved in their production and application
- food products are safe to handle and eat when they are treated with wasps
- they do not harm humans, animals and pollute the environment
- + Research Papers
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- Battaglia, D., Poppy, G.M., Powell, W., Romano, A., Tranfaglia, A. and Pennacchio, F. 2000. Physical and chemical cues influencing the ovipositional behaviour of Aphidius ervi. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 94, 219–227.
- Azzouz, H., Cherqui, A., Campan, E.D.M., Rahbe, Y., Duport, G., Jouanin, L., Kaiser, L. and Giordanengo, P. 2005. Effects of plant protease inhibitors, oryzacystatin I and soybean Bowman-Birk inhibitor, on the aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Homoptera, Aphididae) and its parasitoid Aphelinus abdominalis (Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae). Journal of Insect Physiology 51: 75-86.
- Couty, A., Clark, S.J. and Poppy, G.M. 2001. Are fecundity and longevity of female Aphelinus abdominalis affected by development in GNA-dosed Macrosiphum euphorbiae? Physiological Entomology 26: 287-293.
- Gillespie, D.R., Nasreen, A. Moffat, C.E., Clarke, P. and Roitberg, B.D. 2012. Effects of simulated heat waves on an experimental community of pepper plants, green peach aphids and two parasitoid species. OIKOS 121: 149-159.
- Holst, N. and Ruggle, P. 1997. A physiologically based model of pest-natural enemy interactions. Experimental and Applied Acarology 21: 325-341.
- Honek, A., Jarosik, V., Lapchin, L. and Rabasse, J.M. 1998. Host choice and offspring sex allocation in the aphid parasitoid Aphelinus abdominalis(Hymenoptera : Aphelinidae). Journal of Agricultural Entomology 15: 209-221.
- Le Ralec, A., Curty, C. and Wajnberg, E. 2005. Inter-specific variation in the reactive distance of different aphid-parasitoid associations: analysis from automatic tracking of the walking path. Applied Entomology and Zoology 40: 413-420.
- Molck, G. and Wyss, U. 2001. The effect of experience on the parasitization efficiency of the aphid antagonist Aphelinus abdominalis in greenhouse crops. Zeitschrift Fur Pflanzenkrankheiten und Pflanzenschutz-Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection 108: 616-625.
- Molck, G., Pinn, H. and Wyss, U. 2000. Manipulation of plant odour preference by learning in the aphid parasitoid Aphelinus abdominalis (Hymenoptera : Aphelinidae). European Journal of Entomology 97: 533-538.
- Pons, X., Lumbierres, B., Antoni, R. and Stary, P. 2011. Parasitoid complex of alfalfa aphids in an IPM intensive crop system in northern Catalonia. Journal of Pest Science 84: 437-445.
- Van Driesche, R. G., Lyon, S., Sanderson, J. P., Bennett, K. C., Stanek, E. J., III and Zhang, R.T. 2008. Greenhouse trials of Aphidius colemani (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) banker plants for control of aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in greenhouse spring floral crops. Florida Entomologist 91: 583-591.
