Entomology Commons^™

Biological Control Of Doublegee : Doublegee Decline And The Dock Aphid, John Scott, Francoise Berlandier, Kristy Hollis

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Since 1990 farmers in the Western Australian wheatbelt have been reporting doublegee plants that appear to be diseased, stunted and producing poorly formed fruit (the spiny casing around the single doublegee seed). Often no obvious cause of this decline in plant health is apparent. Experiments carried out in 1990 showed that an aphid, which feeds hidden in the growing tips of doublegee stems and in young distorted leaves, is the most likely cause. This North American aphid, the dock aphid (Brachycaudus rumexicolens), arrived in WA in 1987. It appears to only feed on docks, doublegees and related plants and is …