Rapid, high-throughput detection of azalea lace bug (Hemiptera: Tingidae) predation by Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), using fluorescent-polymerase chain reaction primers.
Azalea lace bugs, Stephanitis pyrioides (Scott) (Hemiptera: Tingidae), are the most common pest of azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) in nursery production and the landscape. Although pesticides are commonly used to control lace bugs, natural enemies can be a significant source of lace bug mortality. Lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) are natural enemies of lace bugs and easily consume them in laboratory studies. Field studies on lacewing biocontrol of azalea lace bugs are underway; however, monitoring lacewing predation in a nursery environment by direct observation is impractical. Here, we describe a fluorescent-polymerase chain reaction method to estimate S. pyrioides consumption based on the gut contents of lacewing predators. Lace bug DNA was detected in fed lacewings up to 32 h after ingestion. More than 80% of the ingested lace bugs were detected using our method with only one false positive result. The assay is both high-throughput and relatively inexpensive, making it a practical approach to documenting lace bug predation in the field.
Rinehart
Timothy A
TA
USDA-ARS, Southern Horticultural Laboratory, 810 Highway 26 West, P.O. Box 287, Poplarville, MS 39470, USA. trinehart@ars.usda.gov
Boyd
David W
DW
D000818:Animals; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000032:analysis*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005453:Fluorescence; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000469:parasitology*; D007313:Insecta / Q000235:genetics*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D029793:Rhododendron / Q000469:parasitology*
D017931:DNA Primers