Overview and relevance of Wolbachia bacteria in biocontrol research

Abstract Wolbachia bacteria are an unsuspected, but potentially important, component of many biocontrol programs. To heighten awareness of these bacteria, we review current knowledge of Wolbachia and their possible application in biocontrol research. Wolbachia promote their spread by altering the reproductive success of their arthropod hosts. This ability frequently is identified as having potential either to reduce populations of pest species, or to increase populations of beneficial species. However, only 19 and 1% of peer-reviewed research articles (n=844) on Wolbachia appear in arthropod- and biocontrol-specific journals, respectively. Although Wolbachia will not have application for all programs, their prevalence cannot be denied. We screened for Wolbachia in populations of arthropods of current interest to biocontrol programs in Canada. Infections were detected in 47% of 177 populations, representing 46% of the 105 species tested. Greater awareness, in combination with the rapidly expanding knowledg...