Skip to main content
Apply

Ferguson College of Agriculture

Open Main MenuClose Main Menu

Green Lacewing

(Neuroptera : Chrysopidae) Adult lacewings are highly mobile andA green bug with clear wings on a wooden surface. inhabit and reproduce in wheat. Lacewings that inhabit wheat are predaceous only as larvae. Adults feed on aphid honeydew, nectar, and pollen. Lacewing larvae feed on a variety of small, soft-bodied arthropods, including aphids, plant bugs, thrips, mites, and the eggs and larvae of Lepidoptera and Diptera. Lacewings are not considered to be highly effective at controlling aphids because they lack the prey specificity usually associated with highly effective aphid predators. However, they contribute to controlling aphid infestations.

 

An orange arrow shaped in a circle showing the lifecyle of a green lacewing labeled: "Eggs, attached to the end of a stalk for protection against predators;" "Larva, also referred to as aphid lion" and "Green lacewing adult."

 


Lady Beetles

(Coleoptera : Coccinellade) Lady beetles occur in wheat fields A red beetle with black spots.throughout the United States. They prey primarily on aphids (including the greenbug) but may also eat spider mites, other insect larvae and insect and mite eggs. Because of the wide climatic and geographic conditions under which wheat is grown, and the complexity of predator-prey relationships, general statements about coccinellid impact on aphid infestations are difficult to make. Under favorable conditions coccinellids are voracious predators and can drive an aphid infestation to extinction.

 

An orange arrow shaped in a circle showing the lifecyle of a lady beetle labeled: "egg mass," "larvae," "pupa" and "adult lady beetle."

 


Nabid

(Hemiptera : Nabidae) Nabids (damsel bugs) feed on small, soft-bodied A grey bug on a green leaf.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. Adult nabids are winged and highly mobile. Nabids are not considered highly effective at controlling aphids because they lack the prey specificity associated with highly effective aphid predators. However, they contribute to the control of aphid infestations. 

 

An orange arrow shaped in a circle showing the lifecyle of a nabid labeled: "eggs;" "immature wings not fully developed" and "adult fully developed wings."

 


Parasitic Wasp

(Hymenoptera : Aphidiidae) The parasitic wasp Lysiphlebus is the most important biocontrol agent of the greenbug in wheat. Mummies produced by Lysiphlebus from the A black wasp on a green surface.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. This parasitoid can be effective at maintaining greenbug infestations below economically damaging levels. Researchers at OSU and USDA-ARS have recently determined thresholds for parasitism that lead to successful control of greenbug infestations in wheat fields in Oklahoma.

 

Photo courtesy of: David Cappaert, Bugwood.org

 

A white circle with orange arrows showing the lifecyle of the parasitic wasp labeled: "Life-cycle of the Parasitic Wasp."

Back To Top
MENUCLOSE