Determining the frequency of heteropteran predation on sweetpotato whitefly and pink bollworm using multiple ELISAs

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Abstract
The gut contents of field‐collected, predaceous Heteroptera were assayed for the presence of eggs of the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) using multiple enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Of seven species examined, Geocoris species and Orius tristicolor (Say) were the most frequent predators of sweetpotato whitefly with 32–39% of the individuals tested over the whole season scoring positive for whitefly antigens. With the exception of Lygus hesperus Knight, a major insect pest as well as a predator, the frequency of predation on pink bollworm eggs was much lower (0.7–14.3% positive over the season). Relatively few predators tested positive for both antigens (0.3–12.5%).