Documenting and Expanding Biological Control of the Cereal Leaf Beetle in Small Grains with a Parasitic Wasp

NYS IPM Type: Project ReportThe cereal leaf beetle (Oulema melanopus) is considered a primary pest of concern for small grains in NY, potentially causing significant yield loss and/or poor grain or forage quality. Losses to this pest can be sporadic but are more prevalent in some regions than others. As we experience a perceived resurgence of this pest and subsequent damage in NY, growers have become more reliant on insecticides to mitigate losses. The necessity of some of these insecticide applications is questionable, and it’s important to consider other potential management options. With the knowledge that a program in the 1970’s focused on releasing a biological control parasitic wasp (Tetrastichus julis) in NY for managing this pest, we wanted to determine if the parasitoid is still present in NYS, at what levels, and whether we could increase populations of this biocontrol organism in a region that suffers annual losses to the cereal leaf beetle