Balancing Pest Management Naturally

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Balancing Pest Management Naturally
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The main goal of AWPM for Wheat is to collaborate
with wheat producers in evaluating and
demonstrating non-chemical pest management
techniques, with particular emphasis on the
management of the Russian wheat aphid and the
greenbug.
Natural enemies play an important role in
regulating populations in wheat in the Great
Plains. Field scouting is one part of our
program it includes a presence-absence technique
that allows for a quick, yet accurate control
decision based on greenbugs and parasitic wasps.
Learning about both insect pests and predators
helps determine the need for insecticide use or
eliminates the need altogether.
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Under favorable conditions Coccinellids are
voracious predators and can drive an aphid
infestation to extinction. If more than one aphid
species occurs concurrently in a wheat field,
they act for all practical purposes as a single
food source for coccinellids.
ColeopteraCoccinellidea
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Lacewings are not considered highly effective at
controlling aphids because they lack the prey
specificity usually associated with highly
effective aphid predators. However, they
contribute to the control of aphid infestations.
Neuroptera Chrysopidae
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Nabids (damsel bugs) feed on small, soft-bodied
arthropods in wheat fields. Both adults and
immatures are predaceous. Nabids are widely
distributed in wheat and other crops, and are
frequently among the most abundant predatory
insects in wheat fields.
Hemiptera Nabidae
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The parasitic wasp Lysiphlebus is the most
important biocontrol agent of the greenbug in
wheat. Mummies produced by Lysiphlebus from the
aphid it killed are either tan or brown depending
on which species of aphid it parasitized. Tan
mummies are formed from greenbugs while brown
mummies are formed from bird cherry-oat aphids.
Hymenoptera Aphidiidae
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For more specific information, please see the
Greenbug Expert system. It offers a detailed
description of Glance N Go as well as fact
sheets on natural enemies and aphids.