The Louisiana ladybeetle, Scymnus louisianae, has been found attacking soybean aphids, Aphis glycines, in Kentucky. This beetle is known to be an effective biological control agent for cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii, so we investigated its potential as a soybean aphid natural enemy. This paper presents the results of a bionomics study (development time, fecundity, etc.), a predation study (prey consumption rate by instar, biomass, etc.), and an insecticide toxicological study (LD50s of common insecticides, selected from different classes). Based on these studies and the predator's known distribution and phenology, we conclude that this predator is likely to be a principal biological control agent in the Southern Region.
Species 1: Coleoptera Coccinellidae Scymnus louisianae (Louisiana ladybeetle)
Species 2: Homoptera Aphididae Aphis glycines (soybean aphid)
Keywords: biological control, predation
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