PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH. 92(2), 1990, pp. 310-313 A SURVEY OF THE COCCINELLIDAE (COLEOPTERA) ASSOCIATED WITH NURSERY STOCK IN MARYLAND C. L. Staines, Jr., M. J. Rothschild, and R. B. Trumbule Maryland Department of Agriculture, Office of Plant Industries and Resource Conser-vation, Plant Protection Section, 50 Harry S Truman Parkway, Annapolis, Maryland 21401. Abstract. —Twenty-eight species of adult Coccinellidae were collected in Maryland nurs-eries from 1986 to 1988. Host plants, presence of prey, and active predation (if any) were recorded for each species. The most commonly detected species were Coccinella septem-punctata L., Coleomegilla maculata lengi Timberlake, and Hippodamia convergens Guer-in. Coccinellidae populations were seldom high and the number of times beetles were collected was low compared to the number of nurseries visited. Key Words: host plants, prey Recently there has been a shift m the pest control practices of commercial nurseries away from cover sprays to spot spraying. Under this new regime, pest control by nat-ural enemies is both desirable and feasible. The Coccinellidae have long been known as major predators of various Homoptera and Acari. Gordon's (1985) treatise on North American Coccinellidae has facilitated adult identification to species. A survey of the Coccinellidae found in Maryland nurseries was undertaken to determine the variety of species present, their frequency of occur-rence, and abundances. Materials and Methods Adult Coccinellidae were collected during routine nursery inspections. In addition to the typical collection data, host plants, pres-ence and type of prey, and feeding activity by the coccinellids were also noted. Speci-mens were placed in 70% ethyl alcohol and taken to the laboratory for mounting. Adults were identified by the senior author using Gordon (1985). No efforts were made to identify larvae. Voucher specimens are de-posited in the Maryland Department of Ag-riculture collection. Results and Discussion Twenty-eight species representing eigh-teen genera were collected. Coccinellidae were found in 67 locations in 1986, 82 lo-cations in 1987, and 37 locations in 1988. One reason for the low detection rate in 1988 is that several field personnel only re-ported unusual coccinellids. Possibly another reason was that the drought con-ditions and high temperatures during the summer made most adult coccinellids seek protected locations. Prey numbers were also low, possibly due to the same conditions. Four species were found in high numbers, but most were observed as occasional adults scattered over large areas. The species found are listed below with the counties, host plants (names as listed in Hortus III, 1976), prey associations or feeding activities, and the months in which specimens were collected. The relative frequency of each species is in-dicated.
BioStor
