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To assess overwintering refuge preferences by Telenomus podisi Ashmead, artificial refuges of varying geometries and composition were provided to wasps when exposed to overwintering conditions in an environmental chamber. Field sampling of leaf-litter and tree bark was also used in an effort to determine site preference of overwintering wasps. Under artificial overwintering conditions, wasps preferred to hang inverted while quiescent, regardless of the refuge design, indicating behavior that avoids precipitation or extreme temperature fluctuations during overwintering in field conditions. Wasps preferred refuges with wider gaps between upper and lower surfaces, avoiding spaces that were narrower than their standing height. Parasitoids also preferred settling at least 60 mm from refuge edges. Results suggest that T. podisi has a preference for the type of overwintering refuge that leaf-litter may offer.

Megacopta cribraria F. (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) was first reported in the United States near Atlanta, Georgia, in fall 2009 (Suiter et al. 2010, J. Integr. Pest Manag. 1: 1–4) and has since spread throughout the southeastern United States (http:// www.kudzubug.org/distribution_map.cfm). In Asia and the United States, it is commonly associated with its preferred host plant, kudzu, Pueraria montana Lour (Merr.) var. lobata (Willd.) (Fabales: Fabaceae) (Medal et al. 2013, Fla. Entomol. 96: 631–633). Nonetheless, M. cribraria has emerged as a significant pest of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill and may damage a few other legumes in the United States (Eger et al. 2010, Insecta Mundi 0121: 1–11; Hu and Carroll 2012, htpp://agfax.com/2012/05/18/Alabama-soybean-kudzubugs-making-their-move/). In Georgia and South Carolina, yield losses in untreated soybean fields averaged 18% and ranged up to 59.6% (Greene et al. 2012, United Soybean Board, Chesterfield, MO; Seiter et al. 2012, J. Econ. Entomol. 106: 1676–1683). Apart from being odoriferous, crushed nymphs have reportedly caused skin rashes, thereby raising health concerns for workers in soybean fields (Ruberson et al. 2013, Appl Entomol Zool. 48: 3–13). Megacopta cribraria is also viewed as a nuisance pest in fall through spring when adults aggregate on or around homes to overwinter, apparently close to kudzu patches (Eger et al. 2010, Insecta Mundi 0121: 1–11; Ruberson et al. 2013). Little is known about the biology and ecology of M. cribraria in North America. Prominently, we do not understand their behavior and population dynamics when host plants are not available, as in the winter. Knowledge of the overwintering behavior and biology of this species could inform surveillance and management. This study was undertaken to identify overwintering refuge areas preferred by M.

The sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner), is an economically important invasive insect pest of sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, production in the southern United States. Studies were conducted to: (1) assess the fecundity of Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson) parasitizing M. sacchari in the greenhouse, and (2) examine the temporal synchrony between L. testaceipes and M. sacchari in the field during 2017 and 2018. Results indicate that after 96 h, the number of M. sacchari increased approximately 90-fold from a single adult in the greenhouse study. The percentage of mummification observed in the greenhouse study was 15.2 ± 3.3%. Of those mummies, L. testaceipes adults emerged from 88.7 ± 4.4%, with 38.6 ± 8.4% of those males. Field observations showed that L. testaceipes appeared in the sentinel fields in late July to August. The percentage of mummies observed in the June- and July-planted plots of 2017, and June-planted plots of 2018 were 4.5 × 10–4 ± 1.5 × 10–4%, 7.4 × 10–4 ± 4.4 × 10–4%, and 4.4 × 10–5 ± 1.7 × 10–5%, respectively. Even though parasitization of M. sacchari by L. testaceipes was observed in both field and greenhouse, the lack of wasps before late July and low rate of parasitization in the field suggest that this species is not well synchronized with M. sacchari populations. Additional natural enemies (e.g., other parasitoids, predators, and entomopathogens) or other adaptations will be necessary before this pest is managed using biological control in Georgia.