Among the various natural enemies, predators and parasitoids play crucial roles in pest management. Predators, which are primarily naturally occurring organisms, help suppress pests in fruit orchards. These include predatory insects such as ladybird beetles, predatory bugs, earwigs, lacewings, mantids, ants, dragonflies, and damselflies, as well as other animals like rats, birds, and bats. Some predators can also be imported, mass produced, and released through classical bio-control methods for effective pest suppression. Parasitoids, mainly hymenopteran wasps, attack and kill pests through parasitism. These parasitoids can be released in fruit orchards after being mass-multiplied. Encouraging the presence of these natural control agents may be achieved by reducing the indiscriminate application of chemical toxicants. This chapter discusses important predators and parasitoids that can be utilized or managed to address pest problems in fruit crops.
Fruits, Insect pests, Parasitoids, Pest management, Predators
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