D3056: (1st Place) Arthropod predator community associated with soybean gall midge in Minnesotan soybean fields

The soybean gall midge, Resseliella maxima Gagné (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is a pest that causes damage to soybeans in the Midwest US. We performed a two-year survey in Minnesota to examine the predator community associated with R. maxima infestation. We found that Orius insidiosus (Say) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) and Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were the most common foliar- and ground-foraging predators, respectively. Our results showed that P. melanarius had the greatest temporal co-occurrence with R. maxima. Additionally, laboratory experiments demonstrated that all predators tested consumed R. maxima larvae. However, P. melanarius, along with Poecilus lucublandus (Say) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and Poecilus chalcites (Say) (Coleoptera: Carabidae), consumed more R. maxima larvae in one hour than O. insidiosus, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), and Bembidion quadrimaculatum oppositum (Say) (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Our study suggests that P. melanarius could be a potential biological control agent of R. maxima in the field due its ability to consume R. maxima larvae and its high temporal abundance in the field, but further research is required to determine its impact on R. maxima populations. By identifying potential predators, our findings will provide a foundation for future research on the biological control of R. maxima.