Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #311511
Title: Demonstrating companion planting to control insect pests of vegetables

Author
item Legaspi, Jesusa
item Miller, Neil

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/19/2014
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Whiteflies and aphids are major insect pests of vegetables in the southeastern US. There is increasing interest in the use of cultural and more sustainable methods to control these pests. Previous studies have shown that hover fly generalist predators were collected from several perennial and annual weedy plants and the most abundant hover flies species were recorded in the blue mistflower, queen anne’s lace, and dotted horsemint. Preliminary analysis on sweet alyssum intercropped with lettuce revealed the most common predatory hover flies to be Eupeodes americanus and Allograpta obliqua. Annual and native perennial plants may be used to attract beneficial insects in a farmscaping approach to control whiteflies and aphids.