Old Parasitoids for New Mealybugs: Host Location Behavior and Parasitization Efficacy of

摘要

Anagyrus vladimiri has been widely employed as a biological control agent (BCA) against the vine mealybugs Planococcus ficus but the knowledge about its employment against other mealybug species is limited. In this study, we investigated the potential efficacy of A. vladimiri for Pseudococcus comstocki management, considering the increasing threat represented by this mealybug pest in Mediterranean vineyards and fruit orchards. No-choice and two-choice tests were conducted to quantify parasitoid behavior against P. ficus and P. comstocki. Our results pointed out that A. vladimiri successfully parasitized both pests, showing no host preference between the two species. Our observations highlight that this parasitoid can be successfully deployed as BCA against P. comstocki populations.