Manipulation of oviposition and overwintering site choice of common green lacewings with synthetic lure (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

Common green lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea species complex) are important predators of several insect pests, particularly aphids. Due to their potential in biological control, several efforts have been made to find means to retain common green lacewing adults or even to increase their numbers at a given site. In the course of field experiments conducted in Hungary and Norway, we tested the effect of a known ternary bait (phenylacetaldehyde, methyl salicylate, acetic acid) on oviposition and overwintering site choice of common green lacewings. In an orchard in Hungary, overwintering chambers were set up with and without baits. For the experiment on oviposition in Norway, a number of lacewing eggs were compared on trees with and without baits in selected sectors of the canopy. With the ternary bait, more common green lacewings could be attracted to overwintering chambers, and also significantly more eggs were found in the vicinity of baits than in other selected parts of the canopy, suggesting that this bait has the potential to manipulate both overwintering site choice and oviposition site choice of these important beneficial insects.