[Syrphidae] Specialist aphidophagous syrphids

[Chris Bergh]

Hello. We are working with Chris Thompson on identifying a Pipizine fly
that seems to be a specialist predator of the Woolly apple aphid. Larvae
collected from arboreal WAA colonies last summer were reared them to
maturity on WAA, but we don't know yet whether they feed on the edaphic WAA
colonies. That, and other questions, will form the basis for work next
year. Is anyone doing anything similar with syrphids that specialize on
hosts that produce waxy secretions? Are there recent or classic papers on
this topic out there that I might not be aware of? Thanks for the feedback.
J. Christopher Bergh
Virginia Tech
Alson H. Smith, Jr.
Agricultural Research and Extension Center
595 Laurel Grove Road
Winchester, VA 22602

Tel: (540) 869-2560
Fax: (540) 869-0862
cbergh@vt.edu