In the BIOCOMES project 27 partners work together to produce 11 novel biological control products to control plant pests and diseases. One of these pests are aphids. Watch the following slides to learn more about our activities to find and mass rear species of parasitoids to control aphids in fruit orchards.

1. www.biocomes.eu
Control of aphids
with parasitoids
In the BIOCOMES project 27 partners
work together to produce 11 novel
biological control products to control
plant pests and diseases.
One of these pests are aphids.
Watch the following slides to learn more
about our activities to find and mass
rear species of parasitoids to control
aphids in fruit orchards.

2. www.biocomes.eu
Slideshare Aphids
Aphids are an important pest in several fruit tree crops. Here, you see a
black cherry aphid (Myzus cerasi) colony on a cherry tree.

3. www.biocomes.eu
Slideshare Aphids
Symptoms caused by aphids on fruit tree crops: rolled leaves and
honeydew.

4. www.biocomes.eu
Strong infestation can impair the growth of the crop.

5. www.biocomes.eu
Slideshare Aphids
Parasitoid wasps lay their eggs in aphids. Parasitized aphids eventually die
and the parasitoid host forms its cocoon inside.

6. www.biocomes.eu
Slideshare Aphids
The parasitoid pupae in the skin of the dead aphid is called a mummy. Here
you see some of these mummies.

7. www.biocomes.eu
PCFruit in Belgium and the University of Belgrade collected mummies in
fruit tree orchards on trees and surrounding vegetation in several European
countries.

8. www.biocomes.eu
Collected mummies in the orchards.

9. www.biocomes.eu
Slideshare Aphids
The collected mummies were prepared to send to Viridaxis in Belgium for
production and parasitism tests.

10. www.biocomes.eu
Emerging adults from the collected mummies were identified by the
University of Belgrade.

11. www.biocomes.eu
Species showing good production potential and high parasitism efficacy
were tested on plants with cage trials in controlled conditions.

12. www.biocomes.eu
Slideshare Aphids
As the results of the cage trials had being satisfying for cherry tree aphids,
it was time for field trials. They were carried out in Belgium both on sweet
and sour cherry orchards. The plastic roofs protecting the tubes of
mummies were installed at the end of winter. In order to work preventively,
the first release of parasitoid wasps was carried out at the very beginning
of the growth season (bud swelling).

13. www.biocomes.eu
Slideshare Aphids
The orchards were monitored weekly.

14. www.biocomes.eu
By monitoring weekly we could quantify the aphid infestation and also the
level of control by the aphids provided by the released parasitoids.

15. www.biocomes.eu
Slideshare Aphids
Here we observed the first aphids.

16. www.biocomes.eu
Slideshare Aphids
Adult parasitoids were often observed in the trial orchards showing that
they stay in the crop after the release.

17. www.biocomes.eu
Parasitoid wasp on a cherry flower.

18. www.biocomes.eu
Mummies were found in abundance in the crop, which is an encouraging
result.

19. www.biocomes.eu
Slideshare Aphids
However, full control of the aphids was not reached due to external factors
that still need to be further investigated in the BIOCOMES project.

20. www.biocomes.eu
This presentation gave a
quick overview of our
work in 2015 for the
development of a
biological control agent to
control aphids in
orchards.
The research is carried
out by Viridaxis, University
of Belgrade and PCFruit.
Pictures: Viridaxis,
University of Belgrade and
PCFruit.
Control of aphids with
parasitoids
The European Union is stimulating the development of biological control products by financing this
BIOCOMES project. The BIOCOMES project runs from 1 December 2013 until 30 November 2017.
The EU contribution is 8.997.264 and the total budget amounts 12.086.5.33.€ €