Assessment of Insect and Mite Pests and Their Natural Enemies in Sweet Orange ( Citrus sinensis L.) Rutaceae Cultivations in Eastern Ethiopia

Severe infestations of insect and mite pests constrain sweet orange ( Citrus sinensis L.) Rutaceae, production in eastern Ethiopia. Little information exists in eastern Ethiopia regarding the insect and mite pests and their natural enemies. This study was conducted to assess the occurrence of pests and their natural enemies in the sweet orange. The survey was conducted from September to October 2024. When sufficient sweet orange trees were present, five sweet orange trees were randomly selected per farm using a “Z”‐shaped walking pattern, and when there were insufficient sweet orange trees, all available trees were sampled. The results indicated that the occurrence of sweet orange insect pests belongs to Hemiptera (aphids, woolly whitefly, red scale, Florida wax scale, cotton seed bug, green stink bug, citrus psylla, cottony cushion scale, giant coreid bug, leaf‐footed bug, citrus flatid planthopper, and mealy bugs), Lepidoptera (citrus leaf miner and orange dog), Thysanoptera (thrips), Acarina (red mite), and Orthoptera (grasshopper). Among these pests with ranging mean abundance values, red scale (472–5721), woolly whitefly (373–3737), citrus leaf miner (2.64–7.64), and aphid species (38–451) were recorded throughout the surveyed areas, while the remaining pests were minor. Among the predators with ranging mean abundance values, coccinellids (0–1.21), lacewings (0–0.24), hoverflies (0–0.61), spiders (0–2.20), and Amitus spiniferus Brethes (parasitoid of woolly whitefly) were recorded in sweet orange orchards. Future research should focus on their host ranges and management across different agroecologies of Ethiopia.