(1st Place) Parasitoid wasps as biological control agents against the lesser date moth in Israel’s desert agriculture

Date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) are a prolific and economically important crop in arid regions throughout Israel. The Lesser Date Moth (Batrachedra amydraula) is a serious threat to date orchards, causing up to 75% yield loss. Parasitoid wasps are a highly diverse group that includes natural enemies of many agricultural pests. This study surveyed potential parasitoids of the Lesser Date Moth across nine date plantations in the Southern Arava from April to June 2022. We assessed parasitoid abundance and diversity throughout the season and across the different plantations. Date samples were collected from tree canopies weekly and searched for LDM caterpillars and parasitoid wasps. Caterpillars found in the dates were incubated for one week then searched to see if wasps had emerged. At many plantations, wasps were able to follow the seasonal peaks of caterpillar abundance Some plantations had a higher wasp/pest ratio, suggesting better conditions there for wasps. Pesticide sprays were followed by dramatic declines in caterpillar and wasp populations. We found 26 morphospecies of wasps across all plantations, five of which also emerged from LDM caterpillars: Habrocytus sp., Euderus sp., Habrobracon hebetor, Phanerotoma ocularis, Goniozus sp.  Our results are a first step towards creating a sustainable management plan based on date palm native wasp species in order to support agriculture in desert date plantations.