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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #389200
Research Project: Managing Invasive Weeds and Insect Pests Using Biologically-Based Methods

Location: Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research

Title: Comparative assessment of the impact of the egg parasitoids, Paratelenomus saccharalis and Ooencyrtus nezarae ,on kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria populations in north Florida

Author
item MORAIN, ALMANDO - Florida A & M University
item KANGA, LAMBERT - Florida A & M University
item HIX, RAYMOND - Florida A & M University
item Legaspi, Jesusa
item ANAGA, ANTHONY - Florida A & M University
item DIEDRICK, WORREL - Florida A & M University

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/26/2021
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Megacopta cribraria (kudzu bug) is native to Asia but it has invaded the United States through Georgia in 2009. The kudzu bug has then spread to 14 other States, including Florida. It has become a serious pest of soybean, the second most planted field crop in the United States after corn. It is therefore of great concern to farmers in soybean, snap bean, and other vegetable producing States and a nuisance to homeowners. Two egg parasitoids of M. cribraria from Asia, Paratelenomus saccharalis and Ooencyrtus nezarae, have become established in the US, however, the impact of these natural enemies on kudzu bug populations is unknown. Our study was conducted to detect the presence of P. saccharalis and O. nezarae and assess their parasitism rates on kudzu bugs in north Florida and South Georgia. Eggs of M. cribraria were collected biweekly from urban, forested, and agricultural areas in four counties in North Florida and South Georgia. They were kept in the laboratory until emergence for the parasitism assessment. Our data indicated the presence of P. saccharalis and O. nezarae in urban and forested areas, but only O. nezarae was recorded in agricultural areas in 2019. In 2020, O. nezarae and P. saccharalis were found in urban areas, agricultural areas, and all four counties in forested areas. There were significant differences between the rates of P. saccharalis and O. nezarae between agricultural, urban, and forested areas in 2019 and 2020. The egg parasitoids showed seasonal co-occurrence in all three areas in both years. Significant positive correlations were determined between temperature and population density of egg parasitoids in urban areas in 2019 and all other three areas in 2020. There was no significant correlation in 2020 between the population density of egg parasitoids and humidity in agricultural areas and precipitation in urban areas.