Flower Flies (Syrphidae) and Other Biological Control Agents for Aphids in Vegetable Crops

By R. Bugg, R. Colfer, W. Chaney, Hugh A. Smith, J. Cannon. 2008

97 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Author(s): Bugg, Robert L; Colfer, Ramy G; Chaney, William E; Smith, Hugh A; Cannon, James | Abstract: Flower flies (also known as syrphids or hoverflies) are effective predators against aphids in California vegetable fields. Learn to recognize these aphid eaters and encourage them to help with your pest management. This publication describes syrphid flies and other natural enemies of aphids. It includes color photographs of the syrphid adults and larvae commonly seen in California vegetable crops.

Subfields: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Insect Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/d5e89ee128f772928f99c83b5736d23686f2e5eb

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

1. B. Blaauw
2. R. Isaacs
3. E. Brennan
4. R. Bugg
5. Shalene Jha
6. Brian N. Hogg
7. J. Neff
8. Sarah Cusser

In Insect Science

1. B. Blaauw
2. R. Isaacs
3. E. Brennan
4. R. Bugg
5. Shalene Jha
6. Brian N. Hogg
7. J. Neff
8. Sarah Cusser

Citations in the corpus

• Flower plantings increase wild bee abundance and the pollination services provided to a pollination-dependent crop (2014, background): “…other crops, such as mango (Dag & Gazit 2001) and oilseed rape (Jauker & Wolters 2008), and the larvae of aphidophagous species are also biological control agents of many soft-bodied arthropods (Bugg et al. 2008; Smith, Chaney & Bensen 2008), thus providing an additional ecosystem service to crops.”
• Detecting pest control services across spatial and temporal scales (2013, unknown): “Syrphids also rely on perennial habitats for alterate (non-crop) prey for their larvae when crop aphid populations re low, shelter from strong wind that would otherwise prevent heir flying, and possibly overwintering habitat (Bugg et al., 2008).”
• Natural land cover drives pollinator abundance and richness, leading to reductions in pollen limitation in cotton agroecosystems (2016, background): “Rather, Allograpta adults move through landscapes, visiting flowers to drink nectar, and lay eggs on larval host plants where the larvae develop and feed on aphids and other crop pests (Bugg, 2008).”
• Attractiveness of common insectary and harvestable floral resources to beneficial insects (2011, background): “In particular, many perennials show promise as attractants for hoverflies (Bugg et al., 2008), and unlike many annuals, are still marketable after they come to flower.”
• Agronomic aspects of strip intercropping lettuce with alyssum for biological control of aphids (2013, methodology): “For more than 10 years, alyssum has been planted as an insectary plant in organic lettuce fields in California to attract adult hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) that feed on pollen and nectar (Bugg et al., 2008 ).”