Natural enemies of wooly apple aphid Eriosoma lanigerum (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in apple production (Malus domestica)

Wooly apple aphid Eriosoma lanigerum Hausmann, 1802 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a significant pest of apple. Modern agriculture rapidly favors biological protection of plants and the introduction of certain beneficial organisms is becoming an increasingly frequent and promising way to control agricultural pests. In addition, the trend of withdrawing numerous active substances from the market has triggered an increasing interest of the agricultural public for predator, parasitoids and pathogens in the control of E. lanigerum. The parasitic wasp Aphelinus Mali Haldeman, 1851 (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) is considered the most important natural enemy of the wooly apple aphid. Although the application of this parasitic wasp is widely present in the integrated apple production, many studies indicate that the effectiveness of A. Mali is significantly increased when this species is used together with other beneficial insects, primarily with certain predatory species. The latest research indicates the frequent commercial use of predatory species in the control of wooly apple aphid, primarily representatives of the families Syrphidae, Chrysopidae and Coccinellidae. Also, for the successful suppression of the wooly apple aphid, it is very important to determine the optimal strategy that will ensure the successful integration of applied predators and other natural enemies of this pest.