Effect of Encarsia formosa gahan (Hymenoptera : Aphelinidae) on Mortality of the Greenhouse Whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Homoptera : Aleyrodidae), at Low Night Temperatures

Abstract

To learn whether an introduced parasite, Encarsia formosa gahan can be used as a biological control agent for the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (westwood) in greenhouses where night temperatures fall to a low level, a release experiment was done in an unheated plastic greenhouse during the period December, 1978 to February, 1979. The parasite was responsible for 43.8% of the host mortality, of which death rate due to host feeding accounted for 12.9%. The results obtained demonstrated that the parasite can survive low night temperatures (about 5°C) and parasitize a substantial fraction of the host when day temperatures are sufficiently high (about 30°C). © 1982, JAPANESE SOCIETY OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY. All rights reserved.