A new alternative in the biological control of the rubber tree lace bug (Hemiptera: Tingidae)

The rubber tree is a plant cultivated with the purpose of extraction of the natural rubber (latex), being an important segment of the Brazil economy. Among the main plagues that attack the culture, he stands out the tingid, Leptopharsa heveae Drake & Poor (Hemiptera: Tingidae) and among their main natural enemies they stand out the lace wings, the mushroom Sporothrix insectorum and the egg parasitoid Erythmelus tingitiphagus (Soares) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae). The objective of the work was to report the potential of this natural enemy use, as auxiliary in programs of integrated handling of this pest of rubber plantations. The study was developed in the farm of company “Plantações E. Michelin Ltda.”, municipality of Itiquira, Mato Grosso, from October 2005 to February 2006 and from August 2006 to January 2007, being collected ripe folioles of five rubber tree clones (RRIM 600, PR 255, PB 235, PB 217 and GT 1), counted the number of eggs by foliole and the number of emerged parasitoid of the same ones. It was verified an average parasitism rate of 18.8% in the first period and 24.2% in the second.