NATURAL ENEMIES AND SEASONAL ABUNDANCE OF THE BLACKMARGINED APHID (MONELLIA-CARYELLA) IN PECAN ORCHARDS IN ISRAEL

The blackmargined aphid, Monellia caryella (Fitch), exhibited a season al pattern with early and late peaks of the population in pecan orchar ds at Newe Ya'ar in the Yizre'el Valley. A similar pattern was not obs erved at Kibbutz Sede Eliyyahu in the Bet She'an Valley, where there w as a single peak, late in the season. The occurrence of natural enemie s indicated that spiders and lacewing eggs were the predators most com monly associated with population fluctuations of the aphid. In most ca ses the rate of increase of the blackmargined aphid was highest late i n the season.