| Habitat manipulation techniques improve the availability of resources required by natural enemies to increase their effectiveness. This study focused on the effects of floral strips on Hymenopteran parasitoid presence. The experiments were conducted during spring 2007 in one organic low-input apple orchard located in south-eastern France. The density and the diversity of parasitic wasps collected from sown floral strips were higher than those from mown plants. The family of parasitic wasps of Braconidae was strongly dominant, followed by Mymaridae and Pteromalidae. By studying 26 flowering species, the greatest diversity and density of parasitic wasps were collected from Potentilla reptans, Achillea millefolium, Trifolium repens and Torilis arvensis. In... |
