First record of Bracon lissogaster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Canada – a potentially important parasitoid of Cephus cinctus (Hymenoptera:
Cephidae) in the prairies
as a volunteer intern at AAFC Canada (Lethbridge Research Centre), Alberta, Canada (2010)
B. lissogaster, another potential parasitoid of Cephus cinctus
Pinned adult of Bracon lissogaster
Abstract: Bracon lissogaster Mues., a key parasitoid of Cephus cinctus Norton in northern Montana USA, is very poorly known in Canada and is reported for the first time. Resurgence of C. cinctus in Alberta and Saskatchewan has led to renewed interest in biological control of this cereal pest in Canada. The survey consisted in a gradient of sweep sampling in southern Alberta at several sites, between the US border and Lethbridge. Several habitats were sampled: ditches, canola fields, wheat fields and grasslands.
The project was in continuity with the Wheat-stem Sawfly research program led at the IPM lab by Dr. H.A. Cárcamo (LRC, Lethbridge) and was very interesting, because it permitted us to make a first evaluation of the relative abundance of B. lissogaster in the area. However since the study ended (2011), Cephus cinctus populations seem to have dramatically decreased - at least momentarily- in southern Alberta and in Saskatchewan, leading scientists and farmers to turn their attention away from research on C. cinctus management for a while.
More about the article: Cárcamo, H.A., Weaver, D.K., Meers, S., Beres, B.L., et Mauduit, A.L. (2012). « First record of Bracon lissogaster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Canada - a potentially important parasitoid of Cephus cinctus (Hymenoptera: Cephidae) in the prairies. », Biocontrol Science and Technology, 22(3), p. 367-369. doi: 10.1080/09583157.2012.658355)