Ecological Entomology (2012) 37, 386-394

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Brett R. Blaauw and Rufus Isaacs (2012)
Larger wildflower plantings increase natural enemy density, diversity, and biological control of sentinel prey, without increasing herbivore density
Ecological Entomology 37 (5), 386-394
Abstract: 1. An important means of conserving beneficial insects in resource-limited habitats is to meet their ecological requirements, which may be achieved by providing areas containing flowering plants that bloom throughout the season, but little is known about the importance of wildflower plot size for supporting natural enemies or the biological control they provide.
2. Wildflowers were established in plots of sizes ranging from 1 to 100 m², and found that natural enemy density, group richness, and diversity of natural enemy groups increased with plot size.
3. The density of insect herbivores was lower in all flower plots than in the control samples, whereas the diversity of herbivore groups was significantly higher in flower plots.
4. Comparing population growth of sentinel soybean aphids (Aphis glycines Matsumura) among plot sizes, aphid colonies were smaller as plot size increased.
5. Providing beneficial insects with flowering resources resulted in significantly more natural enemies and greater pest control than in smaller flower plots or mown grass areas.
6. These results indicate that the density, diversity, and function of natural enemies are sensitive to the size of wildflower plantings, even at relatively small scales. Therefore, larger wildflower plots are more suitable for the conservation of beneficial insects and their provision of natural pest control.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website

Database assignments for author(s): Rufus Isaacs

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
environment - cropping system/rotation
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
environment/habitat manipulation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Aphis glycines