The Potential of Nabis americoferus and Orius insidiosus as Biological Control Agents of Lygus lineolaris in Strawberry Fields

Abstract

The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris, is a major strawberry pest. Only marginally effective control methods exist to manage this pest. Various predators attack L. lineolaris, but their potential is overlooked. In this study, we explore the potential of two omnivorous predators of the tarnished plant bug: the damsel bug, Nabis americoferus, and the minute pirate bug, Orius insidiosus. Firstly, the predation rate of these predators was measured in laboratory tests. Secondly, their potential release rates and release periods were determined in the field using strawberry plants. The results show that N. americoferus feeds on all nymphal stages and adults of the tarnished plant bug, while O. insidiosus attacks only smaller nymphs (up to the N2 stage). In the field, all tested densities of N. americoferus (0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 individual/plant) reduced the population of the tarnished plant bug for several weeks compared with the control treatment, but the effect of O. insidiosus alone was marginal. Additionally, for all the release periods tested, Nabis americoferus was efficient in reducing the pest population. These results demonstrate the potential of N. americoferus to control the tarnished plant bug in strawberry fields. We discuss the possible application of these results for establishing an effective and economically viable biological control strategy.

Integration of the Generalist Predator Nabis americoferus (Hemiptera: Nabidae) in a Greenhouse Strawberry Biocontrol Program with Phytoseiid Predatory Mites and the Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana

“…Several insects from Nabidae, a predatory hemipteran family, have good potential as biological control agents due to their global distribution, natural occurrence in several crops, and wide range of pests they can attack, including prey much larger than themselves [15]. In open-field strawberries, nabids were reported to feed on green strawberry aphids, strawberry root aphids, and potato aphids in Turkey [16]; on European tarnished plant bugs in the UK [17]; on tarnished plant bugs in eastern Canada [18]; and on two-spotted spider mites in New Zealand [19]. In a previous study, three nabid species commonly occurring in southern Ontario, Nabis americoferus Carayon, Nabis roseipennis Reuter, and Hoplistoscelis pallescens (Reuter), were screened for their potential as new biological control agents in Canadian greenhouses by comparing life histories and examining their laboratory predation efficacy against WFT, TSSM, greenhouse whiteflies [Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood)], and green peach aphids [Myzus persicae (Sulzer)].…”