Impact of the biological control agent Gyranusoidea tebygi Noyes (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) on the mango mealybug, Rastrococcus invadens Williams (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae), in Benin

The distribution of Rastrococcus invadens among different host plants and the impact of the mealybug on mango growth were investigated on 2067 trees in three surveys across all the ecological zones of Benin. The first survey started in 1989, less than 1 year after the first release of the exotic parasitoid Gyranusoidea tebygi. Within 3 years, G. tebygi had colonized the entire area of infestation, and was found on practically all infested mango trees as well as other infested host plants. By 1991, the incidence of R. invadens on the secondary host plants had declined significantly. The percentage of infested mango trees declined from 31.0% in 1989 to 17.5% in 1991, highest populations being found in the coastal savanna. During the same period, the mean percentage of infested mango trees having indigenous predators declined from 42.3 to 20.9%. Average mealybug densities declined steadily from 9.7 females/48 leaves in 1989, with 3.2% of all mango trees having densities above 100 mealybugs, to 6.4 females/48...