ChileanJAR

As a part of the biological control programme against the cereal aphids, the La Cruz Experimental Station of INIA was breeding predators and parasitoids through 1975 to 1981. Sorne technics were developed and tested to rear the introduced aphidophagous insects. Best system to rear coccinellids, to be released as eggs, was by feeding them in ice crearn cups, wi-th leaves and aphids (free of predators) massively collected with a net at wheatfields. Parasitoids were reared up in cages made of acrylic and rnesh on aphids bred on wheat plants. Pieces of wheat plants with the spike, free of insects, were also proved to host aphids to be parasitized, being a promising technic. During 1975 more than 300.000 coccine)lids were released and up to 1981 sorne 6 mi)lions parasitoids were released by the lnsectary to be massified by other centers. The introduced aphidophagous species reared up were Coccinella transversoguttata, Hippodamia variegata, and Lioadalia flavomaculata; the parasitoids were: Aphelinus varipes, Aphidius eivi, A. rhopaIosiphi, A. uzbekístanicus, Ephedrus plagiator, Monóctorius neniosus, Praon gaiicum and P. volucre.