Lessando Gontijo collects syrphid flies from potted alyssum. Syrphid flies are by far the most important predator of woolly apple aphid, researchers at Washington State University have found. And a new study suggests that planting alyssum in the orchard could be a way to attract more of the beneficial flies. Dr. Elizabeth Beers, entomologist at WSU’s Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee, said data accumulated over recent years by researchers studying biological control of the woolly apple aphid showed that syrphid fly larvae were by far the most important predator. This was a surprise, she said, because a […]