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New xoridine species, Xorides xylotrechi sp. n., from India is described and illustrated. The parasitoid was reared from the larvae of the xylophagous beetle, Xylotrechus stebbingi (Gahan, 1906), infesting Juglans regia L. Notes on parasitoid behaviour and biology are also provided with a brief description of female reproductive system and venom apparatus.

Amobia quatei Kurahashi, 1974 was reared from the puparia collected from the brood chambers of mason wasp Anterhynchium flavomarginatum (Smith, 1852). The species is reported for the first time from Indian subcontinent. This is also the first host record for the kleptoparasite A. quatei. A redescription of the kleptoparasite supplemented with illustrations of habitus and genitalia, along with notes on the biology of the host are provided.

Lyonetia clerkella Linn. (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) is one of the most destructive insect pests in many parts of the Kashmir valley. In order to find an effective control agent against this lepidopteran pest, we determined the effectiveness of four synthetic insecticides, viz. Dichlorvas 76EC, Chlorpyriphos 20EC, Dimethoate 30EC, and Cartap hydrochloride 4% GR under both field as well as in laboratory conditions. The distilled water was also used as a control in the experiments. The mortality caused by these insecticides was recorded in both larval as well as in adult bioassay experiments. In the larval bioassay experiment, the highest mortality was caused by Cartap hydrochloride 4% GR (93.13%) followed by Dimethoate 30EC (88.97%), whereas in adult bioassay experiment, the highest mortality was caused by Dimethoate 30EC (94.03%). Results obtained in the present study are promising and may be used as a control strategy for the management of this severe leaf miner pest; however, no recommendations concerning the potential use of insecticides for apple orchards can be given, and further studies are needed in this respect, especially under field conditions.

Ladybird beetles were collected from unmanaged apple trees of Kashmir Himalayas across five selected sites to assess species composition and seasonal distribution. Altogether 12 species belonging to 4 subfamilies and 11 genera were found. Varying among sites, species richness was recorded lowest (S = 8) at Shopian and Kupwara and highest (S = 12) at Srinagar. Simmondsius pakistanensis (Ahmad and Ghani, 1996) reported here marks the first verified record of the species from India. Priscibrumus uropygialis (Mulsant, 1853) was found to be the dominant species throughout the season whilst Adalia tetraspilota (Hope, 1831) was rarer in occurrence. Understanding species composition and seasonal distribution of natural enemies in unmanaged apple trees is crucial for pest management programs for apple pests. The baseline information provided here will help in further similar studies in the region and formulation of effective conservational strategies.