Orchard-pest-management
Guides
Amblyseius andersoni
Amblyseius andersoni is a generalist predatory mite in the family Phytoseiidae, widely distributed across Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. It is commercially available and employed as a biological control agent against spider mites, eriophyid mites, and other small arthropod pests in orchards, greenhouses, and open-field crops. The species exhibits broad dietary flexibility, feeding on plant-feeding mites, thrips, whiteflies, and various pollens. Laboratory studies demonstrate that it can be mass-reared on alternative diets such as cattail pollen and the stored product mite Carpoglyphus lactis without loss of predatory efficiency on natural prey.
predatory-mitebiological-controlgeneralist-predatorintegrated-pest-managementspider-mite-controleriophyid-mite-controlorchard-pest-managementgreenhouse-biocontrolmass-rearingpollen-feedingalternative-diettemperature-dependent-developmentPhytoseiidaeAcariEuropeNorth-AmericaChinaapplecitrusconiferous-plantsAnthocoris
minute pirate bugs
Anthocoris is a genus of minute pirate bugs in the family Anthocoridae, containing at least 30 described species. These small predatory true bugs are important biological control agents in orchards and natural ecosystems, feeding on aphids, psyllids, mites, and other small arthropods. Several species have been studied extensively for their potential in integrated pest management, particularly in pear orchards and pistachio cultivation. The genus exhibits host-specific associations with particular tree species and prey types, with life cycles often synchronized to exploit seasonal aphid or psyllid populations.
Anthocoris nemoralis
Orchard Bug, Pear Bug
Anthocoris nemoralis is a predatory true bug in the family Anthocoridae, native to Europe and introduced to North America. It serves as a dominant natural enemy of pear psylla (Cacopsylla pyri) in European pear orchards and is commercially reared for biological pest control. Adults are approximately 3 mm long, predominantly black with distinctive white markings on the wings. The species exhibits temperature-insensitive predation efficiency, with females demonstrating higher attack rates and shorter handling times than males.
Blepharidopterus angulatus
black-kneed capsid
Blepharidopterus angulatus is a predatory mirid bug native to the Palearctic region, with established populations in North America. It serves as a generalist predator of mites, aphids, and other soft-bodied arthropods on deciduous trees and shrubs. The species has been studied extensively for its potential as a biological control agent in orchards and its complex ecological relationships with parasitoids.
Deraeocoris
Deraeocoris is a genus of predatory plant bugs in the family Miridae, comprising at least 210 described species. Members of this genus are recognized as important biological control agents in agricultural and horticultural systems, feeding on pest arthropods including mites, aphids, and psyllids. Several species have been documented in orchard ecosystems, particularly in apple and pear production. The genus exhibits variation in host plant associations and developmental rates depending on substrate and prey availability.
Deraeocoris brevis
predatory plant bug
Deraeocoris brevis is a predatory plant bug in the family Miridae, native to western North America. Adults are small, glossy black insects 3–6 mm in length with red eyes, while nymphs are mottled pale grey with dark patches and a felted dorsal surface covered in grey hairs. Both life stages are predatory, feeding primarily on pear psyllids, aphids, spider mites, leafhoppers, and scale insects. The species is considered beneficial in apple and pear orchards of the Pacific Northwest, where it contributes to biological control of pest populations.
Discodes
Discodes is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). Species in this genus are known as parasitoids of scale insects (Coccoidea), with documented host associations including Sphaerolecanium prunastri, the globose scale insect. The genus was established by Foerster in 1856 and contains multiple described species distributed across several continents.
Heringia
Smoothleg Flies
Heringia is a genus of small hoverflies (Syrphidae) commonly known as Smoothleg Flies. Species occur in North America and Europe. Larvae are predatory on specific aphid species, including woolly apple aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum), woolly elm aphid (Schizoneura), and aphids on poplar (Pemphigus) and fir (Dreyfusia). Adults feed on honeydew and pollen. The genus is part of the "little black fly" group, with females generally unidentifiable to species.
Lathrolestes
Lathrolestes is a genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Ichneumonidae, tribe Perilissini, subfamily Ctenopelmatinae. The genus is best known from the species L. ensator, a biological control agent of the apple sawfly Hoplocampa testudinea in orchards.
Philodromus cespitum
Turf Running Spider, Running Crab Spider
Philodromus cespitum is a small running crab spider in the family Philodromidae, widely distributed across the Holarctic region. It is the dominant spider species in Central European fruit orchards, where it functions as an important biological control agent. Males measure 3.5–5.0 mm, females approximately 5.3 mm. Body coloration is variable, typically in shades of brown or yellow with spotted patterns. The species exhibits distinctive reproductive biology including male courtship tapping behavior and the use of genital plugs during copulation.
Pholetesor
Pholetesor is a genus of microgastrine braconid wasps containing more than 50 described species, distributed primarily in the Holarctic region. The genus was established by Mason in 1981 and includes species previously placed in Teremys, which has been tentatively synonymized. All known species are koinobiont endoparasitoids of concealed-feeding Lepidoptera larvae, with the majority specializing on leafmining and needlemining species in families such as Gracillariidae.
Trichogramma
Trichogramma wasps, egg parasitoid wasps
Trichogramma is a genus of minute polyphagous wasps that are endoparasitoids of insect eggs. With over 200 species worldwide, it is one of approximately 80 genera in the family Trichogrammatidae. These wasps are among the most extensively studied and widely used biological control agents globally, with more than a thousand published papers on their biology and applications. Trichogramma species have also gained attention in neuroscience research due to their extremely small brain size—fewer than 10,000 neurons—while still exhibiting complex behaviors.
biological-controlegg-parasitoidintegrated-pest-managementneuroscience-modelWolbachiamass-rearingagricultural-pest-managementChalcidoideaTrichogrammatidaeaugmentative-biological-controlinundative-releasesustainable-agriculturerice-pest-managementcotton-pest-managementorchard-pest-managementforest-pest-managementparthenogenesischemosensory-biologyminiaturizationbrain-evolutionZetzellia
Zetzellia is a genus of predatory mites in the family Stigmaeidae (Acari: Prostigmata). The best-studied species, Zetzellia mali, serves as a biological control agent of phytophagous mites in apple orchards. Members of this genus exhibit arrhenotokous parthenogenesis, with unmated females producing only male offspring. Development rates and reproductive output vary with temperature and humidity conditions.