Rich and abundant predator complexes are frequently associated with aphids in perennial agroecosystems. The ability of these predators to successfully suppress aphid populations is nevertheless highly variable. The development of operative conservation biological control strategies is mostly hindered by the lack of knowledge of the specific roles of the aphidophagous assemblage components, their intra-guild relationships and the predatory attributes that chiefly determine their effectiveness. The role of predation in the biological control of aphids in perennial agroecosystems was assessed through exclusion experiments in aphid infested citrus crops. Important predator attributes such as recruitment, aphid consumption rates, and foraging strategies were related to their efficacy. Predation greatly affected aphid colony phenology as well as size. Predators with lower aphid consumption rates (Micro-coccinellid species and Cecidomyiidae) were revealed to be the most efficient aphidophaga. These predators encountered aphid colonies at earlier colony stages and significantly reduced their population growth rates. Later more voracious aphidophaga groups (Chrysopidae and Macro-coccinellids) did not present effective biological control of the colonies. Contrarily to what was widely believed, the less voracious aphidophaga groups such as the Micro-coccinellids and Cecidomyiids are probably the groups who are mostly responsible for aphid suppression. Future conservation biological control studies in this crop should therefore chiefly focus on these groups.

多年生农业生态系统中丰富和丰富的捕食者复合物经常与蚜虫相关。这些捕食者成功抑制蚜虫种群的能力仍然高度可变。有效保护生物防治策略的发展主要由于缺乏对食虫性种群组成部分的具体作用，其行内关系和​​主要决定其有效性的掠食性属性的了解而受到阻碍。通过在蚜虫侵染的柑橘类作物中进行排阻实验，评估了捕食在多年生农业生态系统中蚜虫生物防治中的作用。捕食者的重要属性，例如补充，蚜虫的消耗率和觅食策略与其功效有关。捕食极大地影响了蚜虫菌落的物候和大小。蚜虫食用率较低的捕食者（微型球虫和Ce虫科）被发现是最有效的蚜虫。这些捕食者在殖民地早期就遇到了蚜虫殖民地，并大大降低了它们的种群增长率。后来，更多的贪食性蚜虫类（金蝇科和大球藻）没有对菌落进行有效的生物学控制。与普遍认为的相反，不那么活泼的蚜虫类，例如微球藻和Ce虫科，可能是主要负责抑制蚜虫的类群。因此，今后对这种作物的保护性生物防治研究应主要集中在这些人群上。这些捕食者在殖民地早期就遇到了蚜虫殖民地，并大大降低了它们的种群增长率。后来，更多的贪食性蚜虫类（金蝇科和大球藻）没有对菌落进行有效的生物学控制。与普遍认为的相反，不那么活泼的蚜虫类，例如微球藻和Ce虫科，可能是主要负责抑制蚜虫的类群。因此，今后对这种作物的保护性生物防治研究应主要集中在这些人群上。这些捕食者在殖民地早期就遇到了蚜虫殖民地，并大大降低了它们的种群增长率。后来，更多的贪食性蚜虫类（金蝇科和大球藻）没有对菌落进行有效的生物学控制。与普遍认为的相反，不那么活泼的蚜虫类，例如微球藻和Ce虫科，可能是主要负责抑制蚜虫的类群。因此，今后对该作物的保护性生物防治研究应主要针对这些人群。与普遍认为的相反，不那么活泼的蚜虫类，例如微球藻和Ce虫科，可能是主要负责抑制蚜虫的类群。因此，今后对这种作物的保护性生物防治研究应主要集中在这些人群上。与普遍认为的相反，不那么活泼的蚜虫类，例如微球藻和切尾类，可能是主要负责抑制蚜虫的类群。因此，今后对这种作物的保护性生物防治研究应主要集中在这些人群上。