Habitat management is an important approach suppressing pest via conservation biological control in agricultural systems. Intercropping flowering plants is a well- practiced habitat management measure, supporting predators with shelter, nectar, alternative prey and pollen. However, few studies systematically revealed predator’s conservation performance, transfer process and biocontrol ability by intercropping flowering plants in apple orchards. Here, an experimental model of intercropping flowering plants in apple orchard was planned for two consecutive years to response above questions. Four flowering plants conserve a different number and proportions of six main predator species (three ladybeetles (Propylaea japonica, Harmonia axyridis and Hippodamia variegata), one lacewing (Chrysoperla sinica), one hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) and one spider (Misumenops tricuspidatus)). By rubidium (Rb) marking technique, transfer rate of predators C. sinica from flowering plant Cnidium monnieri to apple trees were 79.5 % and 84.1 % in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Transfer rate of predators H. axyridis from flowering plant C. monnieri to apple trees were 74.2 % and 80.1 % in 2020 and 2021, respectively. By predator exclusion trials, the Biocontrol Services Index (BSI) was calculated in sampling date, in which the number of aphids on the caged and uncaged branch has significant difference in the four flowering plants and untreated control plots in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Thus, our results suggest that, intercropping flowering plants in insecticide-free apple orchard contributed to increase the number of predators and biological control of aphid Aphis spiraecola. These findings support that intercropping flowering plants as a promising management option could be implemented in apple orchards.

栖息地管理是农业系统中通过保护性生物控制来抑制害虫的重要方法。间作开花植物是一种行之有效的栖息地管理措施，为捕食者提供庇护所、花蜜、替代猎物和花粉。然而，很少有研究通过在苹果园间作开花植物来系统地揭示捕食者的保护性能、转移过程和生物防治能力。在这里，连续两年计划在苹果园间作开花植物的实验模型来回答上述问题。四种开花植物保存了不同数量和比例的六种主要捕食物种（三种瓢虫（Propylaea japonica、Harmonia axyridis和Hippodamia variegata)、一只草蛉 ( Chrysoperla sinica )、一只食蚜蝇 ( Epsyrphus balteatus ) 和一只蜘蛛 ( Misumenops tricuspidatus ))。通过铷 (Rb) 标记技术，2020 年和 2021 年捕食者C. sinica从开花植物蛇床子向苹果树的转移率分别为 79.5 % 和 84.1 %。来自开花植物C. monnieri的捕食者H. axyridis的转移率2020 年和 2021 年，苹果树的比例分别为 74.2% 和 80.1%。通过捕食者排除试验，在采样日期计算了生物防治服务指数（BSI），其中在2020年和2021年的四种开花植物和未经处理的对照地块中，笼养和非笼养树枝上的蚜虫数量分别有显着差异。因此，我们的研究结果表明，在无杀虫剂苹果园间作开花植物有助于增加捕食者的数量和蚜虫Aphis spiraecola的生物控制。这些发现支持间作开花植物作为一种有前途的管理选择可以在苹果园中实施。