Intraguild interactions between two natural enemies of Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), the predator, Dicyphus hesperus (Heteroptera: Miridae), and the entomopathogenic fungus, Paecilomyces fumosoroseus Apopka-97 (Deuteromycotina: Hyp

My focus was to investigate the intraguild interactions between two natural enemies of the greenhouse whitefly: Dicyphus hesperus, and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus Apopka-97 (PFR-97(TM)). PFR-97(TM) spray applications made to whitefly nymphs resulted in a LC50 of 1.33 x 105 blastospores/ml. Lethal time estimates of whitefly nymphs decreased with increasing concentration of the PFR-97(TM) spray application. When D. hesperus females were exposed to leaf discs treated with PFR-97(TM) at a concentration of 100 x LC50 of whitefly nymphs, 38% of the females died. The surviving females experienced a 38% feeding reduction. Adult D. hesperus females were able to discriminate between healthy and PFR-97(TM)-treated whitefly nymphs when the nymphs were offered to them five days after spray application. The simultaneous use of D. hesperus and PFR-97(TM) in tomato greenhouse microcosms resulted in additive whitefly mortality; together they reduced whitefly densities by 62% relative to the control plants in six weeks.