Bixby-Brosi, A.J., Beers, E.H., & Triapitsyn, S.V. 2017 Discovery of Anagyrus schoenherri (Westwood, 1837) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in the Nearctic Region, a parasitoid of the apple mealybug Phenacoccus aceris (Signoret, 1875) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Washington, U.S.A., with notes on the host. The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 93(3):163–171
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Notes: Phenacoccus aceris (Signoret, 1875), the apple mealybug, is a vector of little cherry virus 2 (LChV2). Sweet cherry (Prunus avium Linnaeus) (Rosaceae) trees infected with LChV2 produce cherries of small size, poor color, and poor flavor, making the fruit unmarketable. Little cherry disease was first observed in British Columbia, Canada in 1933 and was recently detected in Washington, U.S.A. In 2014 –2016, a natural infestation of P. aceris was monitored in an apple orchard located in Washington State University’s Sunrise Orchard near Rock Island, Washington. Heavy parasitism was observed on overwintering nymphs and ovipositing females, followed by a reduction in P. aceris crawlers. The emerged wasps were identified as Anagyrus schoenherri (Westwood, 1837). Historically, declining P. aceris populations in British Columbia were attributed to the establishment of a platygastrid parasitoid Allotropa utilis Muesebeck, 1939, suggesting that biological control could play a major role.
