Understanding what keeps beneficial insects thriving is just as important as what keeps pests at bay, but ideal conditions for parasitoids and predators aren’t well understood.
Abbe Pawluk used her masters studies at the University of Lethbridge to explore the impact on habitat quality on specific parasitoid wasps to try and gauge if certain types of habitats, such as shelterbelts or natural coulees, would support a more diverse population of parasitoids.
Pawluk’s research looks to integrated pest management as a means to minimize the use of pesticides, and strike a balance between biodiversity and ag productivity.
Parasitoids are an insect or organism that attacks another plant or insect by laying its eggs in or on a host. The eggs grow and hatch and eventually kill the host — unlike a parasite that lives off its host, a parasitoid always kills its host plant or insect.
Bees, ants, and wasps can all be parasitoids, but Pawluk’s work specifically focused on wasps in the category of parasitoid hymenopteran. This category includes those that can kill lygus bug, cabbage looper, wheat stem sawfly, and more.
For her specific thesis, Pawluk evaluated roadsides or road verges that were mowed, shelterbelts/wind breaks with trees and shrubs, and coulees, and rated these as low, medium, and high quality habitats. Her work found some fascinating correlations between farms and farm practices, but not necessarily the difference she expected.
Listen on to the latest season of the Pests & Predators podcast to find out more!
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