In order to determine the diversity of parasitoids of Bemisia tabaci in several crops and four weeds species in Panama, two field trips monthly to La Espigadilla and Los Angeles (Los Santos province), Ollas Arriba (province of Panama) and Caisán (Chiriqui) were carried out between May 1998 and April 1999. 30 leaflets were collected by plant infested with B. tabaci.  Five species of parasites belonging to the genera Encarsia and Eretmocerus (both Aphelinidae, Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) were found. Eretmocerus sp. (63.2%) and Encarsia pergandiella Howard (30.7%) were the most abundant parasitoids. A new species of the genus Encarsia was found, but the description has not been possible because only two specimens were collected. The other species found were Encarsia porteri Howard and Encarsia hispida De Santis. In tomato fields in Los Santos province, the parasitism level of 20.4% ± 14.8% was found, including all parasitoids species parasitism in crops, indescending order, were: Chili > weeds > tomato.

During a year of sampling in the three provinces, the levels of parasitism were: pepper > weeds> tomato. These differences are probably due predominantly to differences in the intensity of insecticide applications on pepper and tomato.