A Preliminary Study of some Natural Enemies of Woolly Apple Aphid Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann) (Homoptera: Aphididae) in Sweida, Syria

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.