Vineyards and natural habitats: a useful combination for biocontrol agents

Abstract: The quantification of spatial scale interaction is crucial in understanding the relationship between the structure of the environment and the responses of insect communities. In this study we investigated the occurrence of Hymenoptera: Braconidae and Diptera: Syrphidae in a wine-growing area, in relation to various environmental indices measured at different spatial scales. Positive correlations emerged between the biodiversity of Braconid subfamilies and the environmental sub-class “wild-herbaceous” at a spatial scale of 100 meters. Syrphid biodiversity was correlated with the class “wild” and sub-class “wild herbaceous” at a spatial scale of 100 meters, and with the class “wild” at a spatial scale of 250 meters.