Colonization of Lygus nymphal parasitoids in the Monterey Bay region

Charles Pickett¹, Dagne Duguma², Michelle Lawson¹, Sean Swezey³, Janet Bryer³, Diego Nieto³, Martin Erlandson⁴, Mark Bolda⁵, and Ramana Colfer⁶

¹Biological Control Program, California Department of Food and Agriculture, CA, USA

²Department of Entomology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA

³Ecology and Sustainable Systems, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

⁴Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

⁵UC Cooperative Extension, Watsonville, CA, USA

⁶Mission Organics, San Juan Bautista, CA, USA

Correspondence: cpickett@cdfa.ca.gov

The nymphal parasitoid Peristenus digoneutis Loan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was successfully imported into eastern United States during the 1980’s for control of Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) infesting alfalfa. The resulting control of L. lineolaris renewed interest in doing the same for control of its close relative in California, Lygus hesperus Knight. Peristenus digoneutis has recently been reported attacking L. lineolaris infesting strawberries in New York. We have successfully imported and colonized both P. digoneutis and Peristenus relictus (Ruhte), formerly P. stygicus Loan in Sacramento, California. Beginning in 2002 we began releasing the same parasitoids at locations in the Monterey Bay region. Today, there are 4 release sites in this region: two of natural vegetation bordering or near strawberry production, and another two on organic strawberry farming systems. Peristenus relictus has been recovered 2 years after being last released into the initial study site of natural vegetation. It has been recovered one year since last released into strips of alfalfa interspersed in strawberry fields and used as a trap crop for Lygus spp.

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