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Threshold aphid population density for starting oviposition in Harmonia axyridis

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Abstract

The population density of Eucallipterus tiliae (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) required for initiating oviposition in Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) was established in Tilia cordata Mill. (Dicotyledoneae: Tiliaceae) stands sampled weekly throughout the vegetative seasons of 2017–2019. The number of aphids per leaf area and oviposition in H. axyridis females were determined at each sampling session. Seasonal changes in aphid abundance and the presence of ovipositing females in natural populations varied across years but in all years H. axyridis started oviposition as soon as the aphid density increased above 10.2 aphids per ten sweeps, which equals 1.04 aphids per 100 cm2 leaf area. These values exceed the threshold aphid density for starting oviposition in Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), which is 0.40 aphids per 100 cm2 leaf area. This difference is in line with H. axyridis preference for trees, host plants with complex architecture and hard to search, and preference of C. septempunctata for spatially simple herbs.

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Acknowledgement

We thank Ms Helena Uhlířová and Jana Kohoutová for their excellent technical assistance. Alois Honek and Zdenka Martinkova were supported by grant number QK1910281 from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic and grant number 17-06763S of the Czech Science Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Crop Research Institute, Drnovská 507, Ruzyně, Prague 6, 16106, Czech Republic

    A. Honek & Z. Martinkova

  2. Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

    S. Pekar

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  1. A. Honek
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  2. Z. Martinkova
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  3. S. Pekar
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Correspondence to A. Honek.

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Handling Editor: Eric Riddick

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Honek, A., Martinkova, Z. & Pekar, S. Threshold aphid population density for starting oviposition in Harmonia axyridis. BioControl 65, 425–432 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-020-10019-w

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