Ecology and Behavour of Ladybird Beetles
Ladybirds are probably the best known predators of aphids and coccids in the world, though this greatly underestimates the diversity of their biology. Maximising their impact on their prey is an important element in modern conservation biological control of indigenous natural enemies in contrast to the classical approach of releasing alien species.
The volume is a complex treatment of coccinellid biology, ecology and behaviour, mostly related to their valuable role in the control of sucking pest insects, such as aphids and coccids. To cover all progress of coccinellid research in most expert depth, 14 leading specialists from Canada, Czech Republic, England, Poland, Sweden and the United States became authors. Both the classical topics (food relations, distribution in habitats, impact on prey, parasitoids and diseases, the role in biological control) and the recently intensively developing disciplines such as genetics, regulation of behaviour by the recently discovered semiochemical molecules and intraguild interactions, are covered. While aimed at researchers, university teachers and agricultural entomologists, the book is readable for others who just have a liking for these interesting and attractive insects. The editors and authors hope that the surveyed knowledge will enable a further substantial progress in the state-of-art of modern fields of augmentation and conservation biological control.
Hodek I., Honěk A., van Emden H.F. (2012) Ecology and Behaviour of the Ladybird Beetles (Coccinellidae). John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
ISBN: 9781405184229
