Greenhouse mass rearing of a defoliating sawfly for biological control of brazilian peppertree.

Abstract

Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardiaceae), is a perennial woody plant native to South America. Introduced into Florida, USA, as a landscape ornamental in the late 19th century, its plasticity and lack of natural enemies became this species a threat to the Florida natural flora,including the Everglades. Although a broad array of control methods (e.g., legal, mechanical, physical and chemical) is available to manage existing stands of Brazilian peppertree, there is general agreement among public and private land managers that biological control can provide an environmentally acceptable, cost effective, and permanent solution to this problem. The biology, ecology and host range of the sawfly Heteroperreyia hubrichi Malaise, 1956 (Hymenoptera: Pergidae), a candidate for biological control of Brazilian peppertree, has been studied for over decade in Brazil, Florida and Hawaii. The population dynamics of the sawfly were studied in Brazil between 2003 and 2004, and the results were compared with previous studies. Because the larvae enter the soil to pupate, two different substrates (vermiculite and natural sand) were tested for their ability to minimize disease problems and facilitate collection of pupae for export to Florida. The result of this study showed that vermiculate was the best substrate for maximizing sawfly pupation.