A survey of the natural enemies of woolly apple aphid Eriosoma lanigerum
(Hausm.) was conducted in unsprayed orchards in the mountain region of
Sweida, Syria. Twenty-six species were found, belonging to Coleoptera,
Dermaptera, Diptera, Heteroptera
, Neuroptera. Coccinella septempunctata L.
was the most abundant predator at the beginning of the season. The coccinellid
Oenopia conglobata (L.) occurred in less numbers and had a secondary
importance. Predatory bugs had a high activity in summer. Also, the aphelinid
parasite, Aphelinus mali (Haldeman), was observed with a high effectiveness at
late summer and at the end of the growing season.
