Suppression ofAnthonomus eugenii(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) pepper fruit infestation with releases ofCatolaccus hunteri(Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)

Abstract

The pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii Cano, is an important pest of Capsicum spp. pepper in Florida, Puerto Rico, and Central America. Catolaccus hunteri Crawford is the most abundant parasitoid attacking pepper weevil larvae in Florida. Weekly releases of C. hunteri at a rate of 1600 adults per 0.2-ha plot in organically-grown bell pepper, C. annuum L., beginning at first bloom resulted in fewer weevil infested fruit compared to 0.2-ha plots where no parasitoids were released. Weekly releases of C. hunteri adults on nightshade, Solanum americanum Mill, during the fall/winter off-season followed by weekly releases of the same parasitoid in adjacent bell pepper during the spring in-season resulted in fewer infested pepper fruit compared to offseason nightshade and in-season pepper where no parasitoids were released. The results of these experiments demonstrate the potential of augmentative releases of C. hunteri for suppressing infestations of pepper fruit by pepper weevil larvae.

Toxicity of Selected Insecticides toCatolaccus hunteri(Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) in the Laboratory

“…Augmentative releases of C. hunteri on the alternative host plant American black nightshade (Solanum nigrum L. var. americanum, Solanaceae) during the off-season and on pepper at the initiation of flowering have resulted in reduced or delayed damage by weevil larvae (Schuster 2007). To be effective such releases must be compatible with applications of insecticides targeting the pepper weevil as well as other insect pests.…”

Influence of Plant Direction, Layer, and Spacing on the Infestation Levels of Anthonomus eugenii (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Open Jalapeño Pepper Fields in North Florida

“…The infestation rate of pepper weevils in the field occasionally reaches 66%, even when conventional insecticides are used (Addesso et al 2014). More importantly, various natural enemies of A. eugenii (Pratt 1907;Wilson 1986;Cortez et al 2005), such as the parasitoids Catolaccus hunteri Crawford (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) (Schuster 2007) and Triaspis eugenii Wharton and Lopez-Martinez (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) (Toapanta 2001), are not compatible with conventional insecticides. The center areas of plants were more susceptible to A. eugenii in 5 directions, and their middle and bottom third were less resistance from a layer perspective, indicating these locations were preferred by pepper weevils and should be the focus of insecticide applications.…”

Biology and Host Specificity ofAnthonomus tenebrosus(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) : A Herbivore of Tropical Soda Apple

“…Overall, these results indicate that A. tenebrosus has a relatively short generation time, and under Þeld conditions, populations could increase rapidly, as has been reported for pestiferous Anthonomus spp. (Showler 2005, Schuster 2007). Possible explanations for fast developmental time of ßower-feeding Anthonomus include: a) solanaceous anthers have higher nitrogen content compared with other plant structures (Bhadula and Sawhney 1989), b) larvae inside ßower buds do not expend energy searching for food, and c) ßower buds of solanaceous herbs develop rapidly, providing only a short time for larval development.…”