Status of parasitic wasps for biological control of Lygus and other mirid bugs in North America
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Key Words： plant bug,parasitoid,Peristenus Foerster,USA
Abstract：Mirid bugs are worldwide pests with a wide host range,including cotton and alfalfa.The damage caused by the mirid genus,Lygus Hahn, is particularly great; the cost of controlling this pest and the losses caused by it amounting to hundreds of millions dollars per year in the United States alone.In the U.S.,biological control has increasingly replaced chemical pesticides for the control of this pest.For example,Peristenus Foerster(Hymenoptera: Braconidae),introduced from Europe,has successfully prevented outbreaks of Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) in northeastern USA.Extensive studies on the ecology and physiology of these groups of parasitoids and their application in biological control have been carried out.This experience should be used in China to improve control of the cotton mirid bug.