A study of insect diversity was conducted in Wood County, Ohio, during the summer of 2002 in edge habitats associated with corn and soybean agroecosystems. The hypothesis being tested states that insect communities are more diverse in complex plant communities than in simple plant communities. Ten corn and ten soybean plantings were selected; five of the corn plantings and five of the soybean plantings were bordered by relatively simple plant communities (i.e., low-growing, herbaceous species). The other corn and soybean fields were adjacent to comparatively complex vegetational communities (mature woodland fragments). The parasitic Hymenoptera, specifically, the families Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, and various Chalcidoid families, were sampled along edges approximately every 2-3 weeks using a sweep net. Results were variable; simple edge habitats did, on some sampling dates, have greater relative abundance and parasitoid diversity than complex edge habitats. More extensive surveys are planned to determine factors that may enhance parasitoid communities and improve the possibility of biological control of certain corn and soybean insect pests.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Braconidae
Species 2: Hymenoptera Ichneumonidae
Keywords: natural enemies, conservation biological control
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