Biological Controls for Insect and Mite Pests (Table 23) : New England Vegetable Management Guide : UMass Amherst

SCIENTIFIC NAME	COMMON NAME	TARGET PESTS	COMMENTS
Chrysopa and Chrysoperla spp.	Green lacewings	Aphids, thrips, mites, whiteflies, leafhoppers, small caterpillars, insect eggs	Larvae feed voraciously on many small insect pests. Common throughout the US, and available commercially.
Coleomegilla maculata	Twelve-spotted ladybeetle	Aphids, small caterpillars, small beetle larvae, insect eggs	Native to North America. Both adults and larvae are predators. Wide range of prey and of crops and habitats. Feeds on newly hatched larvae as well as insect eggs. Also eats pollen.
Cotesia congregatus	Braconid wasp	Tomato hornworm	Parasitic wasp that lays eggs in hornworm caterpillars.
Cotesia rubecula	Braconid wasp	Imported cabbageworm (ICW)	Parasitic wasp that lays eggs in small ICW. Exits and spins white, oval cocoon. Introduced to New England in 1988; now well established.
Harmonia axyridis	Multicolored Asian ladybeetle	Aphids	Adults have many variable markings. Both adults and larvae are predators. Renowned for invading homes in fall. May be a pest of grapes. Introduced to North America; widespread range.
Orius insidiosus	Insidious flower bug	Aphids	Commonly found in corn. Small (3 mm).
Podisus maculiventris	Spined soldier bug	Beetle larvae, caterpillars, insect eggs, aphids	Prey includes Colorado potato beetle. Both adults and nymphs are predators. Uses piercing sucking mouthparts to feed on soft-bodied insects.
Syrphidae species	Syrphid fly larva (immature of hover fly)	Aphids, small caterpillars	Adult hover flies mimic bees and feed in flowers. Immatures are voracious aphid predators; legless, cream or brown in color, found in aphid colonies.

SCIENTIFIC NAME	COMMON NAME(S)	TARGET PESTS	COMMENTS
Beauvaria bassiana Strain GHA	Mycotrol ESO, Botanigard	Aphids, whiteflies, thrips, Colorado potato beetle	This fungus penetrates the insect cuticle, fills its body, kills it, and releases more spores. Apply in the evening and target coverage of lower leaves, as spores are inactivated by sunlight. Use preventatively based on monitoring, before pests reach high levels. Can be tank mixed with other microbials for Colorado potato beetle.
Isaria fumosorosea Apopka Strain 97 (formerly Paecilomyces fumosoroseus)	PFR-97^OG, Preferal^OG	aphids, mites, thrips, whiteflies, leafminers, rootworms, wireworms, grubs, caterpillars	A naturally occurring fungus that penetrates the cuticle of insect pests.
Metarhizium anisopliae Strain F52	Met 52EC	thrips, whiteflies, mites	Composed of spores of a naturally occurring entomopathogenic fungus. Spores attach to the insect and hyphae penetrate the exoskeleton, growing inside and causing death in 3-7 days. Labeled for use as a foliar spray or soil drench on field and greenhouse onions to control thrips, and on field and greenhouse celery, lettuce, spinach, peppers, and tomatoes to control thrips, whiteflies, and mites. Persistence will generally be higher when incorporated into soil, but may be effective for a few months even in foliar applications.
Pediobius faveolatus	No common name	Mexican bean beetle	Small parasitic wasp of the Eulophid family, which attacks Mexican bean beetle larvae. Releases should be timed to coincide with egg hatch because wasps lay eggs in young larvae, which are then killed and form a pupal case, or 'mummy', from which a new adult wasp will emerge.
Steinernema and Heterorhabditis spp.	Beneficial nematodes	Cutworms, white grubs, wireworms, maggots, beetle larvae, soil-dwelling adult insects	Very small roundworms, mass-reared for commercial use. These seek out and penetrate their host insects, multiply within the host and kill it. They are most likely to be effective against the soil-dwelling immature stages of susceptible hosts. Nematodes require moist soil conditions to survive.
Trichogramma ostriniae	No common name	European corn borer	Tiny parasitic wasp that oviposits in the eggs of European corn borer. Its larvae grow and pupate in the eggs, preventing borer hatch. Start release when ECB flight begins. In sweet corn, release at 30-60k per acre per week, for 2-3 weeks per block. In pepper, release 90-120k per acre per week over 4 weeks. Reproduces in season but does not overwinter. Available from IPM Laboratories, Locke, NY.
Trichogramma pretiosum	No common name	Caterpillar eggs	May be used in brassica crops and other crops with caterpillar pests.