Beneficial Insects & Natural Enemies
The good guys - insects and natural enemies that help control FAW
​The Fall Armyworm has many "natural enemies". These include various organisms that prey on or parasitize the Fall Armyworm, such as beetles, wasps, predatory mites, and other parasitic insects as well as microbial pathogens that can infect and kill the pests such as Fungi, Bacteria, and Viruses. In their native habitats in the Americas and the Caribbean, approximately 150 species have been identified as natural enemies of Spodoptera frugiperda (Molina-Ochoa et al., 2003).
In Southeast Asia, researchers are intensively exploring local ecosystems for potential natural enemies and beneficial insects that could help control this pest. The goal is to identify and implement biological control methods that are sustainable, environmentally friendly, and effective in reducing Fall Armyworm populations. This page will explore the diverse range of natural enemies and beneficial insects that target fall armyworms throughout Southeast Asia. ​
Predators of fall armyworm reported from Southeast Asia
​The fall armyworm (FAW) has various predators that prey on many other caterpillar species. In Southeast Asia, 16 arthropod predator species have been reported in Indonesia, while four species have been identified in Malaysia. Specifically, in Indonesia, researchers have documented five species of ants (Rizali et al., 2021), four species of lady beetles (Ginting et al., 2020; Rizali et al., 2021), one species of earwig (Tarigan et al., 2023), and six species of spiders (Rizali et al., 2021; Tarigan et al., 2023).
The list of the predators that have been recorded in Indonesia:
​Ants
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Anoplolepis gracilipes
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Dolichoderus sp.
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Pheidole sp.
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Polyrhachis sp.
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Tapinoma sp.
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Earwig
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Doru sp.
Pic 1. (a) Earwig, (b and c) fall armyworm eggs and larvae attacked by earwig, ( d and e) fall armyworm larvae attacked by ants
​​ Lady beetles
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Coleomegilla maculate (De Geer)
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Harmonia sp.
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Menochilus sexmaculatus (F.)
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Micraspis discolor
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Spider
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Oxyopes sp.
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Amaurobiidae sp.
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Clubionidae sp.
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Gnaphosidae sp.
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Lycosa sp.
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Miturgidae sp.
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Pic 2. (f) fall armyworm larvae attacked by lady beetle (g) spider on a maize plant
​Species reported from Malaysia were 1 lady beetle, 1 rove beetle, and 2 pentatomid bugs (Jamil et al. 2021)
Beetles
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Micraspis discolor (F.)
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Staphylinidae sp.
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​​​​​​​Pentatomid bugs
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Andrallus spinidens (F.)
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Eucanthecona furcellata (Wolff)
Pic 3. Staphalinid sp. adult (Shepard, Carner and Ooi)
Pic 4. Pentatomid predator eating a larva
Parasitoids and potential biocontrol of Fall armyworm in Indonesia
Study 1: Species diversity and abundance of parasitoids of fall armyworm in Indonesia
Indonesia is actively seeking for potentials beneficial insects across the countries for managing Fall armyworms. The presence of parasitoids of S. frugiperda has been reported in certain areas of Indonesia. Species that have been confirmed attack fall armyworms listed below:
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West Sumatera province: Microplitis sp., Chelonus sp. (Sari et al., 2023)
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Nusa Tenggara Barat province: Apanteles spp., Eriborus spp., Exorista spp. (Supeno et al., 2021)
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South Sumatera province: Chelonus formosanus Sonan, Chelonus oculator F., Chelonus annulipes Wesm., Chelonus cautus Cresson, Microplitis anila Ashmead, Microplitis, marshallii Kokujev, Euplectrus corriemoreauae Hansson, Compsilura concinnata Meigen, Sarcophaga sp., Macrocentrus sp., Exorista sp., and Megaselia sp (Herlinda et al., 2023)
Pic 5. Species of egg and larval parasitoids of Spodoptera frugiperda: A) Telenomus remus(Nixon), B) Chelonus formosanus Sonan, C) Chelonus annulipes Wesm., D) Chelonus oculator F. ,E.) Chelonus cautus (Cresson) F.) Microplitis manilae Ashmead, G). Microplitis marshallii Kokujev, H) Euplectrus corriemoreauae Hansson, I) Compsiluracon cinnata (Meigen)
Source: (Herlinda at al., 2023)
Study 2: Research on the Rate of Parasitization by Local Parasitoids on Fall Armyworms in Three Different Corn Ecosystems
​A recent study conducted by researchers from Gadjah Mada University (Wahyuningsih et al., 2021) investigated the rate of parasitization by local parasitoids, specifically Telenomus remus and Trichogramma sp., on fall armyworms in three different corn ecosystems in East Java: agroforestry, rice fields, and rainfed fields. The study found that the parasitization of egg masses varied between 15.6% and 52.5%.
Previous study also indicate that both parasitoids have been effective in reducing infestations of Spodoptera frugiperda in the field, achieving parasitization levels ranging from 37.5% to 84.7% in Cameroon (Abang et al., 2021) and even reaching 64% in Nigeria (Laminou et al., 2020).
Telenomus sp. was found more abundant in the three different ecosystems (agroforestry, rice field, and rainfed field) compared to Trichogramma sp. This study have confirmed from the previous study conducted by (Herlinda et al., 2023) which found Telenomus remus nixon as the most abundant FAW parasitoid out of 14 natural enemies.
The number of egg masses parasitized was consistently higher in agroforestry, followed by rice fields and rainfed fields in all three different sampling times. Interestingly parasitization rates on egg masses were not different, and they ranged from 43.7 to 81.6%.
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Pic 6. Egg parasitoid, Telenomus remus parasitizing fall armyworm eggs.
Source: ICIPE
Pic 7. Egg parasitoid, Trichogramma chilonis
parasitizing fall armyworm eggs
Source: ICIPE
Parasitoids and potential biocontrol of Fall armyworm in Philippines
Study : New record of natural enemies of fall armyworms in the Philippines
A sampling and monitoring study of the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and its natural enemies was conducted across six rice and corn-growing municipalities in Northern and Central Luzon, Philippines. The results of this study led to the documentation of a new record of parasitoids.
Molecular analysis conducted by the Molecular Identification team at the Diagnostic and Advisory Service, CABI UK, identified two parasitoid species: Brachymeria lasus Walker (Chalcididae), which is a solitary pupal parasitoid, and Copidosoma floridanum (Ashmead), a larval parasitoid. While B. lasus has previously been reported to parasitize various Lepidopteran pests, this study provides the first evidence of its association with S. frugiperda. These findings represent the first recorded instances of these parasitoids attacking the fall armyworm in the Philippines and globally. (Valdez at al., 2023)
Another record of the parasitoid was found in a study by ( Calcetas et al., 2023) that identified Chelonus formosanus Sonan as the only parasitoid wasp species that emerged from parasitized Spodoptera frugiperda larvae in the Philippines. This marks the first record of C. formosanus in the country, expanding its known distribution beyond previously documented regions. Globally, ten Chelonus species are associated with FAW, with most occurring in Central America, Africa, and Asia
Chelonus formosanus Sonan was found as the dominant egg-larval parasitoid in the different parasitoids attacking the different stages of S. frugiperda (Keerthi at al., 2023).
A study by (Gupta., 2020) also confirmed that Chelonus formosanus can naturally parasitize Spodoptera frugiperda in maize fields and successfully complete its life cycle under laboratory conditions, making it suitable for mass rearing. The parasitism rate ranged from 10% to 19.4%, with 45% to 57.5% of C. formosanus adults successfully emerging from their cocoons.
amenable to mass production (in laboratory conditions)
Pic 8. Female of Chelonus formosanus Sonan. A) dorsal, B) lateral.
Source: Calcetas at al., 2023
Pic 9. Chelonus formosanus: A) Larva emerging from the 3rd instar larva of fall armyworm, S. frugiperda, B) Larva feeding on the larva of fall armyworm
Source: Calcetas at al., 2023
Study on Potential natural enemies of fall armyworm in Thailand
Study 1: Evaluation of Native Entomopathogenic Fungi for the Control of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in Thailand
This study surveyed and collected native entomopathogenic fungi to evaluate their effectiveness against fall armyworms. Six isolates of Beauveria bassiana were identified through morphological characterization and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses.
Efficacy experiments showed that all isolates demonstrated insecticidal activity, with isolate BCMU6 achieving the highest mortality rate of 91.67%. Molecular analysis confirmed the presence of the glycosyl transferase-like protein 1 (GAS1) gene in all isolates, which plays a crucial role in virulence and cuticle penetration.
This is the first report on the use of native B. bassiana to control Spodoptera frugiperda in Thailand, highlighting the significance of the GAS1 gene in enhancing fungal pathogenicity.
Pic 10. Conidia, and the hyphae and the mycosis caused on Spodoptera frugiperda of BCMU4–BCMU6 colony
Source: Rajula at al., 2021
Study 2: Efficacy of Thai indigenous entomopathogenic nematodes for controlling fall armyworm
A recent study assessed the effectiveness of two Thai indigenous entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) isolates: Heterorhabditis indica AUT 13.2 and Steinernema siamkayai APL 12.3—in controlling fall armyworm (FAW) under laboratory and greenhouse conditions.
In laboratory trials, six concentrations of nematodes (50–300 infective juveniles (IJs) per ml) were tested against second and fifth instar FAW larvae. The results indicated that the second instar larvae were more susceptible than the fifth instar. H. indica AUT 13.2 proved to be the most effective, achieving 83% mortality at 250 IJs per ml, while S. siamkayai APL 12.3 resulted in 68% mortality at 300 IJs per ml. The fifth instar larvae exhibited lower mortality rates, with H. indica AUT 13.2 achieving 45% and S. siamkayai APL 12.3 achieving 33% mortality at 250 IJs per ml.
In greenhouse trials, the concentrations were adjusted to 20,000 and 50,000 IJs per ml per pot, resulting in lower overall mortality rates compared to the laboratory conditions. The highest mortality observed was 58% with H. indica AUT 13.2 at 50,000 IJs per ml, followed by 45% for S. siamkayai APL 12.3.
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Pic 11. Conidia,
Parasitoids and potential biocontrol of Fall armyworm in Malaysia
Study 1: Natural enemies of invasive pest Fall Armyworm in Malaysia
A field survey in Kedah identified two generalist predatory soldier bug species, Andralus spinidens and Eocanthecona furcellata, attacking Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm) on grain corn farms. A single A. spinidens male and nine E. furcellata adults were collected and brought to the Entomology lab at MARDI Serdang. While E. furcellata was mass-reared for three generations, the colony eventually collapsed.
A feeding experiment confirmed that both soldier bug species pierced and consumed S. frugiperda larvae (instar 2 and above), but only E. furcellata was observed feeding on pupae. These preliminary findings suggest that E. furcellata may have potential as a biological control agent. However, further studies are needed to assess its life cycle, feeding behavior, and predation efficiency before considering its introduction in pest management programs
Pic 12. Andralus spinidens (a) immature (b) adult
Source: Jamil at al., 2021
Pic 8. Eocanthecona furcellata (a) immature (b) adult (c) an adult feeding on a S. frugiperda pupa.
Source: Jamil at al., 2021
Enhancing pest management using predatory insects in Vietnam
Study 1: Utilizing supplementary food spray to harness predatory insects against fall armyworm in maize crop of Vinh Phuc Province, Vietnam
Effective pest management in maize production requires strategies that minimize insecticide use while enhancing the role of natural predators. Generalist predatory insects play a significant role in controlling pests; however, their populations need support to maximize their effectiveness.
One promising approach is using supplementary food sprays that attract and sustain natural predators, improving their ability to manage pests such as the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda).
A study by Mensah et al. (2004) examined the potential of food spray formulations to attract and maintain beneficial insect populations in Vietnamese maize fields. They developed a novel, locally sourced formulation called the "Vietnam Food Product" (VFP), a cost-effective and farmer-friendly alternative to chemical pest control.
The results indicated that VFP significantly increased the abundance of predators, leading to a notable reduction in fall armyworm populations. Notably, the plots treated with food sprays achieved a higher net margin of $3,467 compared to $3,394 for conventional insecticide-treated plots, emphasizing the economic viability of this approach. Additionally, the study recorded an average predator-to-prey ratio of 9.2:1 in the food spray-treated fields, which proved sufficient for the long-term suppression of the fall armyworm throughout the season.
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