The Influence of Ants on Native and Exotic Parasitoid Success

Abstract

Soybean aphids are an invasive species inducing a loss of up to 50% of soybean yields - or millions of dollars - each year. Parasitoids are small wasps that attack aphids and may reduce their population levels significantly. However, ants benefit from aphid exudates and will ‘tend’ aphids, or protect them from predators such as parasitoids. While there are native parasitoids that attack soybean aphids, they are not doing a sufficient job in controlling soybean aphid populations. A parasitoid called Binodoxis communis from the soybean aphid’s native range (China) has been determined to be a biological control agent for the soybean aphid. This experiment was designed to determine the influence of ants on B. communis compared to a native parasitoid, Lysiphlebus testaceipes.