When estimating the species richness of a taxonomic group in a specific area, the choice of the trapping method is extremely important. In this study the effectiveness of Malaise and Moericke yellow pan traps for collecting flying Ichneumonidae was compared. Samples were collected in 5 habitats in the Cabañeros National Park: pastureland, shrubland and three types of woodland. Two traps of each type were placed in each habitat, and samples collected over a period of one year, replacing the pots every 20 days. The study focused on eleven subfamilies of Ichneumonidae. The results showed that the composition of the Ichneumonidae in the catches of the two traps differed. Malaise traps were more effective in collecting Ichneumonidae in all habitats, but especially in the ash woodland. Moericke traps yielded the most abundant catches in open areas with a wider field of vision. The subfamily Orthocentrinae occurred more frequently in the Moericke yellow traps. The Ichneumonidae caught by both trapping methods differed, especially in the relative abundance of the most common species. When compiling an inventory of species it is extremely important to use a combination of both trapping methods.

The use of non-crop plants to provide the resources that herbivorous crop pests’ natural enemies need is being increasingly incorporated into integrated pest management programs. We evaluated insect functional groups found on three refuges consisting of five different plant species each, planted next to a maize crop in Lima, Peru, to investigate which refuge favoured natural control of herbivores considered as pests of maize in Peru, and which refuge plant traits were more attractive to those desirable enemies. Insects occurring in all the plants, including the maize crop itself, were sampled weekly during the crop growing cycle, from February to June 2011. All individuals collected were identified and classified into three functional groups: herbivores, parasitoids, and predators. Refuges were compared based on their effectiveness in enhancing the populations of predator and parasitoid insects of the crop enemies. Refuges A and B were the most effective, showing the highest richness and abundance of both predators and parasitoids, including several insect species that are reported to attack the main insect pests of maize (Spodoptera frugiperda and Rhopalosiphum maidis), as well as other species that serve as alternative hosts of these natural enemies.