D3141: Presence of Wolbachia in Trechnites insidiosus in the western United States

Pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), are a major pest of pear trees in the Pacific Northwest. Trechnites insidiosus (Hymenoptera: Encertidae) are a paraitoid of pear psylla. Trechnites insidiosus can be used as an alternative to pesticides in orchards. Some T. insidiosus have an intercellular bacterium called Wolbachia. Wolbachia inhibits male T. insidiosus from reproducing with a female that has the bacteria. No survey of Wolbachia incidence in T. insidiosus has been done in the western United States. The four states we sampled in the summer of 2021 are from California, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Data collected from Oregon was from Hood River and Medford. Data from Washington are from Cashmere Valley, Central WA, and Wenatchee. The average range of Wolbachia positive T.insidiosus is 60%-100%. We extracted the DNA form the T. insidiosus and amplified DNA using universal Wolbachia primers. Samples scored positive if a 600bp band was present after gel electrophoresis.