Media type: E-Article Title: Optimizing aphid biocontrol with the predator Aphidoletes aphidimyza, based on biology and ecology Contributor: Boulanger, François‐Xavier; Jandricic, Sarah; Bolckmans, Karel; Wäckers, Felix L; Pekas, Apostolos imprint: Wiley, 2019 Published in: Pest Management Science Language: English DOI: 10.1002/ps.5270 ISSN: 1526-498X; 1526-4998 Keywords: Insect Science ; Agronomy and Crop Science ; General Medicine Origination: Footnote: Description: <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Aphidoletes aphidimyza</jats:italic> is one of the most important predators used in the augmentative biological control of aphids, key pests of many crops worldwide. Adult females are very efficient in locating aphid infestations over a relatively long range, up to 45 m, and deposit eggs near or within aphid colonies. The predatory larvae are aphid generalists preying on several agriculturally important aphid species. The successful use of this biocontrol agent in agricultural systems depends on several biotic and abiotic factors. Among biotic factors, aphid species, plant structure, interspecific competition and intraguild predation may significantly impact the predator´s population dynamics. Key abiotic conditions include day lengths (above a critical threshold to prevent diapause), availability of mating sites in the crop, temperature (above 15 °C to enable egg laying), air relative humidity (above 70%) and availability of pupation sites. Although several successes have been reported in open field crops with naturally occurring or released populations, commercial releases are primarily used in protected crops. Optimized emergence boxes combining provisioning of food sources for the adults, integration with the technological advances that occurred in the greenhouse environment lately, insights into the nutritional ecology in open field crops and exploration of the genetic variability are proposed as future directions to improve adoption and efficacy of <jats:italic>A. aphidimyza</jats:italic> in crop protection. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry</jats:p>