Cleruchoides noackae Lin and Huber (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) is a solitary egg parasitoid of Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero and Dellapé (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae). The parasitoid was first described in 2009 and its biology and rearing are poorly understood. A key obstacle to the use of C. noackae as a biological control agent has been the ability to consistently rear it under quarantine conditions. This study reports on a series of experiments conducted in quarantine to rear C. noackae and to examine the effects of diet on longevity, per capita reproduction and progeny sex ratio, as well as to determine development time, and preference and suitability of host eggs of different ages.When supplemented with honey solution, the longevity of C. noackae females increased significantly 2 by 2.4 days and that of males by 1.7 days, relative to the unfed adults. Mean per capita reproduction for the honey-fed wasps was 7.7 offspring per female, with progeny sex ratio slightly skewed towards males. Mean percentage parasitism was 32.2 %. Cleruchoides noackae was capable of parasitizing and completing development from oviposition to adult eclosion within 15.7 days in host eggs between zero and five days old. The ability of C. noackae to parasitize a wide range of host egg ages increases the period of vulnerability of T. peregrinus to attack, increasing its potential efficacy as a biological control agent. The methods and results reported here represent a crucial step in the on-going efforts to develop this potential biological control system.

Very little is known about Leptocybe invasa Fisher & LaSalle, a new fast‐spreading alien pest infesting Eucalyptus in several countries. This study examined L. invasa infestation on Eucalyptus germplasms in different agroecological zones of Uganda. The incidence and severity of the pest infestation were higher in hotter and drier agroecological zones than in cooler and wetter zones. There were direct negative relationships between altitude and L. invasa infestation on Eucalyptus species. No infestation was observed on any Eucalyptus species in stands at altitudes ranging from 1938 to 2452 (the maximum encountered) m above sea level. Leptocybe invasa infestation occurred on all Eucalyptus species encountered (Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Eucalyptus saligna, Eucalyptus robusta), except Eucalyptus maidenii that escaped attack because it was located outside the ecological range of the insect. The incidence and severity of L. invasa infestation was generally higher on clonal hybrids E. grandis × E. camaldulensis than on E. grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla. Research on host germplasms, L. invasa biology and ecology, impact of the pest infestation and possible control strategies are suggested to facilitate the development of sustainable management strategies.

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