Integrated Control of Cydia Species in Apple Orchards: Evaluation of the Potential of Hyssopus Pallidus As Biological Control Agent

Direct pests such as the codling moth and the oriental fruit moth are a severe problem in apple cultivation. Today, these kind of pests are being control with a variety of control methods, including chemical control, mating disruption and the use of natural antagonists. H. palliuds is a parasitic wasp that has the ability to enter the infested fruit and to parasitize the larva inside the apple, thus resulting in a reduction of the pest population level. H. pallidus parasitizes the codling moth and the oriental fruit moth equally well inside an apple and can therefore be applied as to combat both pests species. Furthermore, it can be cold stored for a certain period of time without loosing its parasitism capacity. As a result, H. palliuds holds the potential to be a used as a strategy in integrated control programs to fight notorious pests in apple cultivation.