Parasitoids, Braconidae (Hymenoptera) and Tachinidae (Diptera) of borers, Crambidae and Coleophoridae (Lepidoptera) of sugarcane for the production of panela in Colombia

Abstract

Sugarcane agroecosystems include natural enemies that can regulate the populations of stemborers (Lepidoptera), and this is an important role considering that biological control is the main management strategy for the crop. The goal of this research was to offer an updated list of stemborer parasitoids of sugarcane for panela from the Suárez river basin (Colombia). A total of 616 parasitoid specimens were sampled from 2015 to 2017. Out of the ten species found Alabagrus albispina, A. imitatus, A. parvifaciatus, A. roibasi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Leskia sp. (Diptera: Tachinidae) are new records for Colombia. Alabagrus albispina, A. roibasi, and Leskia sp. are new records for the stem borers of the crop. These species may serve as new tools for biological control in sugarcane.