Abstract

The whitefly,Parabemisia myricae (Kuwana) is one of the most serious citrus pests in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. In 1986, a host-specific parasitoid ofP. myricae, the aphelinidEretmocerus debachi Rose and Rosen, was imported from California to Turkey and released into citrus orchards along the Eastern Mediterranean coast. In the following yearsP. myricae-populations were rapidly reduced from about 17 whitefly-immature stages per leaf to less than 0.1 stages per leaf in all citrus orchards where the parasitoids were released. Furthermore,E. debachi was shown to be a good disperser and it is well adapted to the climatic conditions in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Since the successful colonization ofE. debachi, the whitefly is no longer a serious pest and it is difficult to find unparasitized individuals in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey.

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