Hernández-González, I.A., & Cruz-Rodríguez, J.A. 2018 Chilocorus cacti (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) as a Biological Control Agent of the Wild Cochineal (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) of Prickly Pear Cactus. Environmental Entomology 47(2): 334–339
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Notes: The wild cochineal (Dactylopius opuntiae Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) is considered to be the most important pest in cactus pear plantations. In Mexico, there are seven natural enemies that provide natural biological control of D. opuntiae. The survival analysis showed that the presence of C. cacti had significant negative effects on D. opuntiae survival. C. cacti significantly increased its abundance while reducing the density of adult female D. opuntiae, but this impact occurred only after they had consumed the more preferred nymphs. For this reason, natural enemies other than C. cacti may be required to achieve adequate levels of biological control.
