Classical Biological Control ofPalaeococcus fuscipennis(Burmeister) (Homoptera: Margarodidae) in Israel,

Palaeococcus fuscipennis(Burmeister) (Homoptera: Margarodidae) is rarely observed in pine forests in Mediterranean and Central European countries. It was discovered in Israel in 1990 in a single pine stand in Nahal ‘Iron (northern Samaria). Between the time of its detection and the summer of 1996, the scale insect had spread to the NE and NW, infesting 1300 ha of forest ofPinus brutiassp.brutiaTenore,P. halepensisMiller,P. pineaL., andP. canariensisC. Smith. Infested trees were covered with honeydew and with stems and crowns displaying thick layers of sooty mold. Association of the scale with several predacious arthropods, including large populations of the coccinellidRodolia cardinalisMulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), failed to reduce its population level and spread to new plantations. In 1994 and 1995 two specific natural enemies ofP. fuscipennis,the coccinellidNovius cruentatusMulsant and the parasitoidCryptochetum jorgepastoriCadahia (Diptera: Cryptochetidae), were introduced from “Marismas del Dial Nature Reserve” SE of Huelva in southern Spain and released at a single site in ‘Iron forest in Nahal ‘Iron. In the summer of 1996, both enemies were detected over most of the range of the pest. A large decrease in the pest’s population density and in the sooty mold cover was observed at the site of release of its natural enemies. Our findings suggest thatN. cruentatusis the major contributor so far to the population reduction ofP. fuscipennis.