Environmental Entomology (1982) 11, 876-880

R.E. Rice and R.A. Jones (1982)
Collections of Prospaltella perniciosi Tower (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) on San Jose scale (Homoptera: Diaspididae) pheromone traps
Environmental Entomology 11 (4), 876-880
Abstract: The aphelinid endoparasite Prospaltella perniciosi Tower was collected on sticky traps baited with synthetic pheromones and virgin females of the San Jose scale, Quadraspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock). Flight of overwintered parasites in central California correspond closely with spring flights of male scale and maturity of female scale. Subsequent flights of Prospaltella are not as closely synchronized with mature scale populations, and show a general decline through the remainder of each season. If the parasites are using the sex pheromones produced by mature female scales in host-finding behavior, this asynchrony of summer populations could help explain the decline of parasite populations.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
population dynamics/epizootiology
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Diaspidiotus perniciosus
Encarsia perniciosi (parasitoid)	Diaspidiotus perniciosus		U.S.A. (SW)