Host-age-preference
Guides
Encarsia citrina
Encarsia citrina is a minute parasitoid wasp in the family Aphelinidae that serves as an important biological control agent of armored scale insects. The species attacks multiple scale hosts including euonymus scale (Unaspis euonymi), greedy scale (Hemiberlesia rapax), and Fiorinia externa. Research has demonstrated that pesticide applications can significantly reduce parasitoid populations and disrupt biological control services. The species exhibits temperature-dependent searching efficiency and host age preference in its foraging behavior.