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Abstract Field experiments were conducted at guava orchard belonging to the Center Experimental Research, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University, during the two successive years 2000 and 2001. Also, laboratory experiments had been carried out in the Insectary of Economic Entomology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University. It could be concluded from the results obtained in the present study that: 1.?Twelve major insect pests were found infesting guava orchards at Mansoura district during the two years of investigation. The dominant species was C. hespridum, as it formed 28.31% of the total number of insect catches in the first season and 26.68% in the second season. 2.?Nine predatory insect species and seven parasitoid insect species were recorded associated with the injurious insects infesting guava trees. 3.?Population densities of major insect pests infesting guava orchards and their associated beneficial insects during the two years were studied. 4.?The statistical analysis revealed that there were highly significant positive correlations between the biweekly catches of the injurious insect species and predatory insects under field conditions. 5.?The average parasitism percentages of hymenopterous parasitoids attacking P. psidii adults were 7.59% in the first year and 5.80% in the second year of study. 6.?The average parasitism percentages of hymenopterous parasitoids attacking H. lataniae adults were 57.6% and 52.6% in the two years of investigation. 7.?The temperature and relative humidity had exerted correlation degrees varied from highly significant positive to significant negative on the population densities of the injurious insects infesting guava trees and their associated beneficial insects during the two years of study. 8.?Chilocorus bipustulatus was one of the most efficient predator attacking scale insects, therefore, it was selected to evaluate its feeding capacity, duration and fecundity when reared on C. hesperidum and P. psidii under the laboratory conditions. The female predator laid higher number of eggs when fed on C. hesperidum than when it fed on P. psidii. 9.?It can be recommended to use C. bipustulatus as a biological control agent against soft scale insects in guava orchards. 10.?Certain biological characteristics of the predator Ch. carnea when fed on two soft scale insects: C. hesperidum and P. psidii were studied. |