Abstract
The pine-feeding mealybug,
Oracella acuta (Lobdell), was accidentally introduced and established in Guangdong Province, China, in 1988 (Sun et al. 1996, J. For. 94: 27-32). It spread rapidly through the extensive plantations of exotic slash pine,
Pinus elliottii Englem. var.
elliottii, a species native to the U.S. Total volume growth loss has exceeded 33% in some cases, though tree mortality has not been reported (Ren et al.2000, Natur. Enemies of Insects 22: 140-143).
Oracella acuta is seldom a pest in the U.S. due to an effective natural enemy complex (Clarke et al. 1990, Environ. Entomol. 19: 99-103; Sun et al. 2002, J. Entomoi. Sci. 37: 177-181). Outbreaks occur when natural enemy populations are drastically reduced, particularly by insecticide applications (Clarke et al. 1992, J. Econ. Entomoi. 85: 1246-1252).
Keywords
Allotropa,
Zarhopalus debarri,
biological control
Citation
Sun, Jiang-Hua; Clarke, Stephen R.; Debarr, Gary L.; Berisford, C. Wayne. 2004. Interspecific competition between two parasitoids of the mealybug,
Oracella acuta (Lobdell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Journal Entomol. Science 39(1): 136-139