Parasitoids and parasitism rates of the horse chestnut leaf minerCameraria ohridellaDeschka and Dimić [Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae] across four sites in south-west London

The horse chestnut leaf miner Cameraria ohridella was discovered in the Balkans in 1986 and appeared in the UK in 2002. The aim of this study was to quantify and describe the parasitism rates and parasitoids of the moth in urban and rural stands of Aesculus hippocastanum in the UK and to compare the results with those from European studies. A maximum parasitism rate of 6.67% was obtained, and a significant difference in parasitism rate between urban and rural stands was noted. Two species Minotetrastichus frontalis and Pnigalio agraules alone were responsible for 37% of total parasitism. However, the results show no ideal candidate for use in the biological control of C. ohridella within the native UK parasitoids.