Biological Control of Certain Sugar Beet Insects by Two Salticid Spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) in Egyptian Sugar Beet Fields

Abstract

Recent studies in agriculture focusing on reducing insecticide uses which have lead to growing interest in spiders as potential biocontrol agents. Salticidae is the largest family of spiders, with over 5000 species. Many studies have demonstrated that spiders can significantly reduce insect pest densities. Thus, this current work was carried out at the Experimental Farm of Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Kafr El -Sheikh Governorate during 2021 / 2022 and 2022 / 2023 seasons.This study recorded two salticid species in Egyptian sugar beet fields; Heliophanillus fulgens (O.P. Cambridge) and Neaetha cerussata (Simon, 1868). In addition to, the findings demonstrated that the dominant prey to these salticid spiders were Pegomyia mixta Vill. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) larvae, Scrobipalpa ocellatella (Boyd.) (Lepidotptera: Gelechiidae) larvae , Cassidavittata Vill. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) larvae (different instars), Spodoptera spp.( Lepidotptera: Noctuidae) larvae , and aphid species (Homoptera: Aphididae) (nymph+adults). In the light of these results, spiders (Araneae) espically salticid species, may help reduce the population of sugar beet insects, without using insecticides.