The brown lacewing Micromus angulatus as a biocontrol agent against the black cherry aphid Myzus cerasi

Summary in the original language of the document

Cherries are an economically valuable but quite fragile crop. Fruits are subject to cracking and bursting due to rain and are also vulnerable to various pest, like fruit flies that enter the orchards during fruit formation. Table cherries in Switzerland are therefore often cultivated under rain protection roofs and insect exclusion nets. However, these two protections modify the climate within the orchard and may prevent beneficial insects like natural enemies entering the orchards, which benefits the occurrence of aphids, making the black cherry aphid (Myzus cerasi) the major pest in netted orchards. This is especially a problem in organic agriculture where the use of pesticides is restricted.
In this study, we investigated the preventive release of the brown lacewing (Micromus angulatus), a predator of aphids as well as other small, soft-bodied arthropods, as a mean to reduce the black cherry aphid pressure in field context. Two releases were performed one month apart early April and early May 2024 and aphid infestation and colony development were assessed during nine weeks between late April and mid-June 2024. Brown lacewings were also reared in the lab on black cherry aphids and larvae were observed for one week.
Results from the field study did not show evidence of aphid infestation reduction in the release orchards. urprisingly, the release correlated with a stronger aphid colony development at the end of the season. The brown lacewing cannot therefore be considered as a good candidate for controlling the black cherry aphid.