Survey of Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera: Agromyzidae) and Liriomyza sativia (Diptera: Agromyzidae) parasitoids from vegetables in Leon County, Florida

The leafminers Liriomyza trifolii, and Liriomyza sativia occur primarily in Florida and California, and are found rarely in greenhouses along the eastern United States.   They are considered to be the most important agromyzid pests in North America. They are truly highly polyphagous insects having a host affinity for vegetables, ornamentals and weeds with the potential to become a serious pest if introduced to new areas.Additional pest species of Liriomyza are invasive threats to the U.S.  Liriomyza huidobrensis, the pea leafminer is considered by APHIS to be a pest of quarantine significance posing a high risk for introduction into the U.S.  Given this likelihood of introduction, it is critical to proactively develop management tactics for the pea leafminer should it become established in the US.  It is well established that in many cases hymenopteran parasitoids of leafminers can provide acceptable control in the absence of pesticide spraying.  Most of these parasitoid species that attack L. sativae and L. trifolii are also able attack the pea leafminer.   The goal in this project is to provide information on plant-leafminer-parasitoid associations in leafminers established in Florida, and to relate these to potential hosts of the pea leafminer.