In the field, aphidophagous arthropods were dominated by Coccinellidae, Syrphidae, Anthocoridae,
Neuroptera and Araneae, and these natural enemies were readily observed preying on aphids,
feeding on flowers or extrafloral nectaries, and using plant structures for oviposition and/or protection.
Survival of native Cycloneda sanguinea (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) differed between plant species, with
significantly greater survival on Ageratum conyzoides and Bidens pilosa. However, no evidence was gathered
to suggest that weed floral resources provided any nutritional benefit to the exotic Harmonia axyridis
(Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). This research has provided evidence that naturally growing weeds in chili
pepper agroecosystems can affect aphid natural enemy abundance and survival, highlighting the need
for further research to fully characterize the structure and function of plant resources in these and other
tropical agroecosystems.