| The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (Fabr.) is the main sugarcane pest in Brazil. In the State of São Paulo, the main active population control of D. saccharalis is by inundative releases of the exotic parasitoid, Cotesia flavipes (Cam.). However, the production of C. flavipes in sugar mills entails costs and few studies have evaluated the effects of native predators on sugarcane borer populations. Using a simple colony translocation method, we evaluated the effect of fire ants (Solenopsis spp.) on population densities of D. saccharalis and concurrently upon rates of parasitism by classical biological control agents in the São João sugar mill in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The translocation technique proved to be feasible and economically... |
