Conservation biological control in urban landscapes: Manipulating parasitoids of bagworm (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) with flowering forbs

Local and Landscape Drivers of Parasitoid Abundance, Richness, and Composition in Urban Gardens

“…Relatively few studies have examined patterns of parasitoid abundance or diversity in urban habitats but those that have mainly focus on examining abundance of parasitoids of a certain species or group for control of urban pests (e.g., Ellis et al 2005), examining differences in abundance or richness along an urban to rural gradient, in different urban habitat types, or in natural habitat fragments of different sizes (e.g., Gibb and Hochuli 2002, Christie and Hochuli 2009, Bennett and Gratton 2012. Studies that do report family richness have found relatively similar numbers of families (e.g., 23 in Christie and Hochuli 2009, 29 in Bennett and Gratton 2012) and many of the same families that we identified as common in our study sites.…”

“…We averaged values collected over the five sample periods. We chose to measure these variables because previous studies have documented the importance of vegetation complexity, floral abundance, and ground cover for parasitoids (e.g., Olson et al 2000, Ellis et al 2005, Gagic et al 2011, Bennett and Gratton 2012.…”

“…Parasitoids, especially those in the Encyrtidae, Aphelinidae, and Trichogrammatidae families, are major players in control of insect pests (Goulet and Huber 1993). Ellis et al (2005) found that by manipulating the local environment with the addition of flowering forbs there was a significant increase in the parasitism rates of bagworm larvae. Changes in the landscape may also influence parasitoids.…”

Measuring Social–ecological Dynamics Behind the Generation of Ecosystem Services

“…The three groups were pollinators (bumble bees), seed dispersers (birds), and insectivores (birds) (see Appendix A). They contribute, respectively, to the ecosystem services of pollination (Corbet et al 1991, Buchmann andNabhan 1996), seed dispersal (e.g., Robinson andHandel 1993, Sekercioglu et al 2004), and pest regulation (e.g., Franz 1961, Mols and Visser 2002, Sekercioglu et al 2004, Ellis et al 2005. Birds and bumble bees are easily surveyed and are also organisms that most managers recognize and have some kind of emotional connection to.…”

Alternatives to Chemical Control of Insect Pests

“…Ellis et al (2005) and Rebek et al (2005) independently observed significantly enhanced parasitism of two key ornamental pests, bagworm and euonymus scale, in experimental plots containing nectar and pollen sources (i.e., resource plants). Resource plants also served as refuge for vertebrate predators of bagworms as evidenced by increased predation rates (Ellis et al, 2005). Resource plants can harbor alternative prey/host species, which sustain adult and immature natural enemies when primary prey/hosts are scarce.…”