Ecotoxicological effect of insecticides on Ooencyrtus nezarae (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) reared from refrigerated and unrefrigerated Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae) host

Due to increased field occurrence of Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Alydidae) on various crops including soybean, persimmon and apple in recent years in Korea, demand for insecticide applications to control the stink bug has increased. Acute toxicity of eight pesticides on Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a major egg parasitoid of R. pedestris, was compared in the laboratory. Fenitrothion, spinosad, cyfluthrin, etofenprox and carbosulfan caused 100% mortality of O. nezarae within 24 hours by topical application or exposure to residue. Fenitrothion was also highly toxic to the parasitoid when ingested orally. In a previous study, release of refrigerated inviable eggs of R. pedestris was found to increase field parasitism; therefore, we evaluated the sublethal effect of fenitrothion when O. nezarae parasitised refrigerated or unrefrigerated host eggs. Although parasitism rates on both kinds of eggs significantly decreased when O. nezarae were provided with host eggs sprayed with fenitrothion, no difference in parasitism rate, adult emergence, sex ratio, development time and longevity of O. nezarae was found between the refrigerated or unrefrigerated host eggs when the insecticide was treated either before or after oviposition. There was no significant sublethal effect when parasitised host eggs were treated with the insecticide. From these results, all the insecticides tested showed high, acute toxicity against O. nezarae with relatively lower sublethal effects. Refrigeration of host eggs did not affect the susceptibility of O. nezarae to insecticides.     

THE PREFERENCE AND DENSITY RESPONSES OF EGG PARASITOID,OOENCYRTUS NEZARAE ISHO,TO THE EGGS OF SOYBEAN STICK BUGS,RIPTORTUS CLAVATUS THUNBERG AND PIEZODORUS HYBNERI GMELIN*

Abstract The preference and density response test9 of egg parasitoid, Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii, to the eggs of soybean stick bugs, Riptortus clavatus Thunberg and Piezodorus hybneri Gmelin, were carried out in this study. In the free choice test, O. nezarae emerged from both eggs of stick bug prefer R. clavatus eggs only in the various ratios of host egg densities. In non‐choice test, O. nezarae emerged from P. hybneri eggs parasitize both R. clavatus and P. hybneri eggs, showing a high parasitism on host eggs. However, O. nezarae reared on R. clavatus eggs had a significantly lower parasitism on the eggs of P. hybneri. Olfactometer test showed that the odor emitted from R. clavatus eggs had a great influence on the host searching and parasitizing behavior of O. nezarae. The number of R. clavatus and P. hybneri eggs parasitized by O. nezarae gradually increased with the increase of host egg densities. However, the parasitism of O. nezarae to R. clavatus eggs decreased with the increase of host density. The parasitism of O. nezarae are significantly lower (P < 0.05) on host egg P. hybneri under the laboratory condition, especially for O. nezarae emerged from R. clavatus eggs. This research results implied that in the soybean field, there were some optimal or spatial barriers for O. nezarae to find R. clavatus eggs efficiently.     

Interspecific larval competition between two egg parasitoids in refrigerated host eggs of Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae)

In a previous study, we found that soybean fields could be supplemented with refrigerated eggs of Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Alydidae) to enhance parasitism. As a part of a study to evaluate the effect of host egg refrigeration on parasitism, host acceptance behavior and interspecific larval competition between Gryon japonicum (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) were studied in multiparasitized unrefrigerated and refrigerated eggs. O. nezarae showed complete host acceptance behavior when offered refrigerated host eggs that were preparasitized by G. japonicum. Adult emergence rate of O. nezarae was 43 and 74% when the interval between the first and second oviposition was 0 and 4 days, respectively, and was not different between refrigerated and unrefrigerated eggs. Refrigeration did not change host acceptance behavior of G. japonicum, but adult emergence declined from 80% in unrefrigerated eggs to 37% in refrigerated eggs that were pre-parasitized by O. nezarae on the same day. No negative effects of refrigeration on sex ratio, adult longevity, and adult size of the both parasitoids were found. Generally host egg refrigeration did not negatively affect host acceptance behavior of the both parasitoids on preparasitized eggs or larval competition between the two parasitoids in multiparasitized host eggs with exceptions in the development time and emergence rate of G. japonicum. Therefore, host egg refrigeration may not interrupt interactions between the parasitoid populations in the field.     

Winter survival and oviposition before and after overwintering of a parasitoid wasp, Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

Winter survival and oviposition before and after overwintering in Ooencyrtus nezarae, an egg parasitoid of phytophagous heteropterans, were examined in Osaka, Japan. Eggs of Riptortus clavatus parasitized by O. nezarae were kept under natural photoperiod and temperature. When honey was supplied, some female adults emerging from early September to late November overwintered. The percentage of overwintering individuals increased as the date of adult emergence advanced. Most female adults supplied with honey and hosts oviposited soon after emergence, then stopped laying eggs. Female adults emerging in mid‐October and early November laid eggs and then overwintered. The induction of diapause in the field seems to vary greatly depending on host availability. Without honey, the survival time of female adults was very short, whether host eggs were supplied or not. After overwintering, most females began to lay eggs in early May if host eggs were supplied, and they produced both male and female progeny. In the study area, a legume field in Osaka, parasitization by O. nezarae was observed from early July to November.     

Refrigeration of Riptortus clavatus (Hemiptera: Alydidae) eggs for the parasitization by Gryon japonicum (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

Gryon japonicum (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is a solitary egg parasitoid of Riptortus clavatus (Thunberg) (Hemiptera: Alydidae) one of the most important pests in soybean in Korean and Japan. Refrigeration of R. clavatus eggs for up to 120 days was evaluated as a method of mass production of G. japonicum. The refrigeration reduced the eclosion of eggs, thus no nymph emerged after 30 days of egg refrigeration. Increased duration of host acceptance behaviors by G. japonicum and some detrimental effects on parasitism rate, developmental time, longevity, and adult size of the parasitoid were found in refrigerated host eggs. However, all the biological parameters of G. japonicum were unaffected by the refrigeration of up to 30 days. Gryon japonicum parasitized 16 and 14 host eggs daily that were refrigerated for 15 and 30 days, respectively, which did not differ from parasitization of fresh host eggs. Furthermore, refrigeration of host eggs did not reduce the reproduction of the emerged adult parasitoids and emergence and sex ratio of their progeny. Gryon japonicum also parasitized 14 and 13 refrigerated host eggs per day kept at 26.3°C and 78.7% RH for 2 and 4 days of post-refrigeration without significant reduction, respectively. These results show that refrigeration of R. clavatus eggs can be a good method for mass rearing of the parasitoid, and the host eggs killed by cold storage can be supplemented in the field to boost field parasitism.     

Enhancement of Riptortus clavatus (Thunberg) (Hemiptera: Alydidae) egg parasitism by a component of the bug's aggregation pheromone

Egg parasitism of the bean bug, Riptortus clavatus (Thunberg) (Hemiptera: Alydidae), was surveyed using individual egg bags in a sweet persimmon orchard and at Gyeongsang National University (GNU) campus, Korea in 2006. The effect of (E)-2-hexenyl (Z)-3-hexenoate (E2HZ3H), one component of R. clavatus aggregation pheromone, on the parasitism enhancement was tested at GNU campus and in a soybean field in 2005 and 2006, respectively. In 2006, two egg parasitoid species, Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Gryon japonicum (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), emerged from R. clavatus eggs. Parasitism by O. nezarae was 9.4–48.3% in mid August to mid September in GNU campus and 6.7–30.0% at the orchard. Total parasitism by G. japonicum (2.5%) at both sites throughout the experimental period was lower than that by O. nezarae (12.5%). This survey revealed nearly no activity of the two species after October at both sites. G. japonicum was solitary and O. nezarae could be either solitary or gregarious. From a single R. clavatus egg, one female or one male G. japonicum emerged. However, an average of 4.3 O. nezarae emerged from one host egg. It took 12.6 d for G. japonicum and 12.0 d for O. nezarae to emerge from R. clavatus eggs in the laboratory. Treatment with E2HZ3H increased parasitism by O. nezarae in both years, but did not increase parasitism by G. japonicum. This suggests that E2HZ3H can be used as a kairomone to reduce the density of R. clavatus in the fields where natural parasitism by O. nezarae is high.     

Incidence of superparasitism in the egg parasitoid,Ooencyrtus kuvanae Howard (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

The encyrtid Ooencyrtus kuvanae is a solitary parasitoid of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera-Lymantridae) that is used in biological control programmes and whose mass rearing is influenced by superparasitism. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the self-superparasitism of O. kuvanae at different host densities (5, 10, 15 and 20), female ages (3 and 5 days) and durations of exposure (1 and 5 days) under various laboratory conditions (25°C?±?1°C, RH 60?±?5% and a 16:8?h light:dark photoperiod) as well as in a new laboratory host, Philosamia ricini (Danovan) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) of O. kuvanae. In this study, we determined the rate of egg superparasitism and adult emergence and recorded development time, longevity and body weight. Superparasitism increased with female age and the duration of exposure to parasitoids when females had access to five host eggs. Superparasitism increased the number of parasitoid offspring, but it resulted in male-biased (56.90%) progeny. Furthermore, superparasitism caused deleterious effects to the fitness of the progeny by prolonging the developmental process, and decreasing longevity. For example, we found that when four adults can emerge from one superparasitised host egg, the body size of the parasitoid offspring decreases significantly. Hence, superparasitism should be avoided when mass rearing O. kuvanae.     

Comparative study of development parameters of four Ooencyrtus spp. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) on natural and factitious hosts

Biological control approaches such as seeding and augmentation releases of populations of natural enemies mostly rely on the indoor production of predator or parasitoid species, often with the use of alternative prey/host species. In this study, we investigated several development parameters of four egg parasitoid species: Ooencyrtus fecundus, O. near fecundus, O. pityocampae and O. telenomicida, and compared their performance on their natural host, the variegated caper bug (CB) Stenozygum coloratum, and on an alternative, factitious host, the silk moth (SM) Bombyx mori. Survival was higher and development duration shorter in CB eggs, making the CB a better host for these congeners. However, adult longevity was generally longer for individuals that developed in SM eggs. Moreover, O. fecundus and O. pityocampae females that had developed in SM eggs displayed higher fecundity than all other female/host combinations. Survival also varied according to the age of the SM eggs: parasitoid survival rates were significantly higher in 9‐ to 12‐month‐old (post‐diapausing) eggs than in young (about 1 month old) ones. These results were probably influenced by differences among the egg sizes of the studied hosts. The number of non‐laying females and self‐superparasitism rates were exceptionally high in O. near fecundus. These findings suggest that SM eggs, and especially those which are being utilized after a long storage, could serve for mass rearing of the studied Ooencyrtus spp.     

Demonstration of interspecific competition between two sympatric egg parasitoids of Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius) in laboratory condition

Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) acts as a facultative hyperparasitoid of Gryon japonicum (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) sympatric parasitoid of Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Alydidae). A longer period of host egg exploitation by both parasitoid species would be beneficial for O. nezarae, while G. japonicum tends to be successful when the parasitoids have only a short exploitation period. We demonstrated the interspecific competition by measuring parasitism in nine combinations of host densities (10, 20, and 40 eggs) and exploitation times (1, 3, and 5 days). To reflect the gregarious-solitary dichotomy of the two species, three O. nezarae and one G. japonicum mated females were compared in addition to a one-to-one competition design. We found that O. nezarae was the better competitor when exploitation time was longer than 1 day, irrespective of host density. Total parasitism rate and progeny emergence of O. nezarae were 1.6–2.8 and 4.7–7.3 times higher than for G. japonicum in three-to-one competition design, respectively. Although G. japonicum females were more effective in host finding (as shown by their higher per capita rate of parasitism when exploitation time was short), their progeny suffered high mortality from the larval interspecific competition inside multiparasitized host eggs. These results suggest that gregarious O. nezarae is the superior competitor when host eggs are available for longer period of time while solitary G. japonicum is superior when host resources are available for only a limited time.     

Temperature and strain effects on reproduction and survival of Trichogramma oleae and Trichogramma cacoeciae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

To assess differences in temperature sensitivity during development, life tables for two lines derived from the species Trichogramma oleae Voegelé and Pointel and a strain of Trichogramma cacoeciae Marchal (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) were elaborated at 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 36, and 37°C in the laboratory. Eggs of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller together with a fresh drop of honey were supplied every 2 days until the death of the test females, and the removed host egg batches were placed in the equivalent rearing cabinet. The line ‘2F’ of T. oleae was found to be the most efficient at any range of temperatures except at 20 and 37°C, in comparison to the other tested strains. For all species, no progeny emerged from eggs incubated at 36°C and none of the parasitized eggs turned black at 37°C. The better performance at a broader range of temperatures by T. oleae (line 2 F) might be caused by a shorter history in artificial rearing in comparison to the other strains. Fewer generations at laboratory conditions and frequent multiplication on eggs of its natural host (the olive moth Prays oleae) may have prevented a deterioration in the rearing population of this strain, maintaining its genetic diversity at a higher scale. Applying varying temperature regimes on the rearing stock at regular intervals during the mass production process may help to maintain the essential quality of the biological control agents for field performance at higher temperatures.     

Biological attributes of Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) reared on refrigerated eggs of Riptortus pedestris (= clavatus) Fabricius (Hemiptera: Alydidae)

Storing host eggs at low temperatures has been used to mass rear parasitoids of stink bugs, including Riptortus pedestris Fabricius (Hemiptera: Alydidae), a major soybean pest in Korea and Japan. However, no information on the effect of cold storage on parasitization by Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), one of the major parasitoids of R. pedestris, has been published. In this study, we examined biological attributes, including parasitism rate, development time, sex ratio, adult size, and longevity, of O. nezarae when the adult parasitoids were provided with host eggs refrigerated for 0, 15, 30, 60, and 120 days at 2.0 °C. None of the attributes of the first or second generation of O. nezarae was negatively affected by host egg refrigeration up to 30 days. In addition, O. nezarae could parasitize refrigerated host eggs successfully for the first four days of post-refrigeration period when they were kept at 26.3 °C and 78.7% RH conditions. Therefore, refrigeration of R. pedestris eggs can be a good method to mass rear O. nezarae.     

舞毒蛾卵寄生蜂大蛾卵跳小蜂发育与温度的关系及利用替代寄主柞蚕卵繁育的子代品质评价

舞毒蛾Lymantria dispar (L.)是国际性检疫害虫。大蛾卵跳小蜂Ooencyrtus kuwanae (Howard)是舞毒蛾卵的重要寄生蜂, 对舞毒蛾有一定的控制作用。为了在规模化繁育大蛾卵跳小蜂时控制小蜂的发育进度, 设置不同的温度梯度研究了该蜂发育与温度的关系; 同时, 为了对替代寄主繁育出的天敌质量进行评价, 对利用其自然寄主舞毒蛾卵和替代寄主柞蚕Antheraea pernyi卵繁育出的子代成蜂的寿命、 胸宽、 雌雄性比进行了比较。结果显示： 大蛾卵跳小蜂的发育起点温度和有效积温分别为10.50±1.41℃和260.74±25.09日·度, 温度与发育速率的关系为T=10.50+260.74V。当采用30%的蜂蜜水饲喂成蜂时, 柞蚕卵繁育出的大蛾卵跳小蜂雌、 雄蜂的平均寿命分别为15.01和10.38 d, 采用原寄主舞毒蛾卵繁育出的雌、 雄蜂平均寿命分别为20.94和15.95 d, 两者差异显著; 采用柞蚕卵繁育出的雌蜂个体显著大于用舞毒蛾卵繁育出的雌蜂个体; 柞蚕卵和舞毒蛾卵繁育出的大蛾卵跳小蜂雌雄性比没有显著差异, 分别为2.42∶1和2.57∶1。结果表明, 在野外开展舞毒蛾的生物防治时, 释放利用柞蚕卵繁育出的大蛾卵跳小蜂具有可行性。     

Effect of temperature on reproduction and parasitism of the egg parasitoid,Anastatus orientalis (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae)

Anastatus orientalis is a solitary endoparasitoid of Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) eggs. We investigated the development, longevity, fecundity, and sex ratio of A. orientalis on different temperatures to establish the optimal temperature condition for laboratory mass rearing. There were significant differences in its development and longevity between 15 °C and the rest of temperature conditions (20, 25, and 30 °C), among which were no significant differences. The average number of eggs laid by A. orientalis was higher at 20 and 25 °C, but there was no statistically significant difference in its fecundity between the two temperatures. More females emerged at 15 and 20 °C than higher temperatures.Parasitisms of A. orientalis varied with host egg ages and densities. Even in 14 day old eggs of L. delicatula, parasitoids successfully emerged from 92.3% of the parasitized eggs. On the other hand, parasitism was lowest (13.8%) on just before hatching eggs. Parasitism was negatively dependent on host density.Oviposition behavior for A. orientalis primarily occurred at 1400–1600 h, not at 2400–0800 h. The majority of this parasitoid's emergence occurred at 0800–1000 h, largely before noon. These results may be useful for controlling the adequate time for supplying host eggs and release density of this parasitoid as well as for potentially predicting the accurate time for securing parasitoid adults in laboratory mass rearing of A. orientalis.     

In vitro rearing ofOoencyrtus pityocampae [Hym., Encyrtidae], an egg parasitoid ofThaumetopoea pityocampa [Lep., Thaumetopoeidae]

Ooencyrtus pityocampae (Mercet) is a polyphagous egg parasitoid, known mainly as an egg parasitoid of the Pine Processionary Caterpillar,Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Denis &; Schiffermüller), a pest of pines in Southern Europe and in the Mediterranean region. Rearing on artificial medium was recently undertaken, and after a large screening of both materials and techniques available for this aim, a PVC film and a medium devoid of insect material were found as suitable for the complete development ofO. pityocampae. The artificial eggs allowed the parasitoid to oviposit and to develop up to the adult stage. Five adults (2 males and 3 females) were obtained. Development was slower than that observed in natural hosts. Two out of three females laid viable eggs in both natural and artificial eggs.     

Reproductive biology of the microtype tachinid fly Zenillia dolosa (Meigen) (Diptera: Tachinidae)

Reproductive biology including mating, adult longevity, fecundity and development of the tachinid fly Zenillia dolosa was investigated for optimizing rearing procedures using Mythimna separata as a host in the laboratory. Females lay microtype eggs containing a first instar larva on food plants of the host and then the eggs must be ingested by the host for parasitization. Mating success was 58.5% with mating duration of 80.7 min. Mating was most successful when day 0–1 females were kept with day 2–4 male flies. Female body size was positively correlated with its fecundity but not with longevity. However, females that survived longer produced more eggs during their lifetime. Parasitoids successfully developed in 4th to 6th instar host larvae. Host instars at the time of parasitoid egg ingestion significantly influenced development time of the immature parasitoid, but did not affect body size of the emerging parasitoid. We suggest that pairing newly emerged females with day 2–4 males should result in higher mating success and using the last instar hosts for parasitization should minimize development time of the parasitoid for rearing.     

Potential for lab rearing of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apanteles taragamae</Emphasis>, the larval endoparasitoid of coconut pest <Emphasis Type="Italic">Opisina arenosella</Emphasis>, on the rice moth <Emphasis Type="Italic">Corcyra cephalonica</Emphasis>

A lab rearing technique was standardised for Apanteles taragamae Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), the early larval parasitoid of the coconut leaf-eating caterpillar, Opisina arenosella Walker on the alternate host Corcyra cephalonica Stainton (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). The parasitoid took 23.3 ± 3.2 days to complete the egg to adult period. Adult longevity for males and females was 15.3 ± 4.6 and 13.8 ± 4.6 days respectively. Fecundity was 14.8 ± 4.3 eggs per female. The percentage parasitism was 60.6 ± 5.7 on the alternative host C. cephalonica and 64.6 ± 5.5 on the natural host O. arenosella. Eight- to ten-day-old caterpillars were the ideal stage of C. cephalonica for rearing A. taragamae. The results indicated the amenability of rearing A. taragamae on C. cephalonica in the laboratory.     

Life history parameters of the microtype parasitoid fly Pales pavida (Diptera: Tachinidae), and effects of host age and number of eggs ingested by host on parasitism success

With the aim of developing better procedures for rearing the microtype tachinid fly Pales pavida (Meigen), we performed ecological studies in the laboratory using the natural host Mythimna separata (Walker), investigating larval development, mating behaviour, individual oviposition patterns and relationships between parasitisation and number of eggs ingested (NEI) per host. The host instar at the time of parasitoid egg ingestion significantly affected the development time of the immature parasitoid: development took longer when the hosts ingested eggs when at the fifth instar than at the sixth (last) instar. There was no difficulty obtaining mated females in the laboratory when day 0–1 female flies were kept with day 2–4 males. Mean lifetime fecundity was 5805?±?568 eggs per female. Daily rates of oviposition by individual females varied widely; the greatest number of eggs laid in a day was exactly 1700. When the NEI by day 1 fifth instars or day 0 or 3 last instars was 1, 3, 6 or 10, the parasitisation percentage tended to increase with increasing NEI, although it did not differ significantly between NEI 6 and 10. Therefore, the percentage adult emergence per egg ingested decreased from NEI 6 to 10, particularly in the case of last instars. Using day 0 last instars, with six eggs ingested per host, should increase parasitisation rates and shorten the development time of the parasitoid for rearing.     

Parasitism of frozen Halyomorpha halys eggs by Trissolcus japonicus: applications for rearing and experimentation

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), has become a well-known pest to growers and homeowners since its 1996 introduction to the United States. A classical biocontrol programme is under development using the egg parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus. Widespread implementation of biocontrol requires efficient mass rearing, which is constrained by the availability of fresh H. halys eggs. In this study, parasitism rate, developmental time, sex ratio and size were compared between wasps reared on fresh versus frozen, newly laid (<1 d old) versus variably aged (0–3 d old), and frozen egg masses stored ≤4 y. Frozen eggs yielded 56–65% fewer wasps, with parasitism rate decreasing 1–3% per month stored. Parasitism rate, sex ratio and developmental time were comparable between newly laid and variably aged eggs. Freezing eggs for any duration did not affect sex ratio or weight of emerged wasps, but delayed emergence 5–6 d. To simulate deployment of sentinel eggs in the field, we incubated frozen eggs at 20°C and 30°C for 1–9 d before exposing them to T. japonicus, then evaluated parasitism trends. Trissolcus japonicus parasitism rate decreased 5–8% per day incubated, unhatched wasps increased 9% per day incubated and sex ratio was not impacted. Variably aged, frozen and longer stored eggs can be used for T. japonicus rearing and experimentation without affecting emerged wasp sex ratio or size within one generation, but have lower parasitism and slower development. Frozen sentinel eggs are effective <3–5 d, especially in hot conditions.     

Odor specificity testing in the assessment of efficacy and non-target risk for Trichogramma ostriniae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

Trichogramma ostriniae Pang and Chen (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) is an indigenous egg parasitoid of Ostrinia furnacalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in China. We evaluated T. ostriniae's responses in olfactometer and wind tunnel assays to various host and plant odors that are likely to impact the efficacy and non-target risk of utilizing T. ostriniae as an augmentative biocontrol agent against Ostrinia nubilalis Hübner in the USA. In a Y-olfactometer, female T. ostriniae exhibited innate positive responses to the egg mass volatiles, scale volatiles, and synthetic sex pheromones of O. nubilalis. When exposed to O. nubilalis pheromone while walking on a platform in a wind tunnel, the wasps manifested significant changes in patch exploration behavior, including delayed dispersal from the platform and slowed walking. The wasps did not respond innately to the synthetic pheromone of a non-target species, Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), however. Exposing wasps to S. frugiperda pheromone together with eggs of a factitious rearing host prior to testing also did not alter the wasps’ lack of response to the pheromone, indicating that associative learning of the novel odor did not occur. Lastly, wasps showed no innate responses to leaf volatiles from corn (Zea mays L.) and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), two crops attacked by O. nubilalis. We conclude that T. ostriniae is likely to be highly efficient at finding O. nubilalis eggs in the field through the exploitation of host chemical cues. Further, T. ostriniae's response to moth pheromone appears to be relatively host-specific, since the wasps responded to the pheromone of a congener to their natural host, but not to the pheromone of a more distantly related non-target species. This type of odor-specificity could be an important mechanism for reducing the risk of T. ostriniae attack on non-target species.     

Effect of mating combinations on the host parasitisation and sex allocation in solitary endoparasitoid,Aenasius arizonensis (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

Aenasius arizonensis (Girault) is an important solitary endoparasitoid of Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley. To optimise the mass production of high-quality females, it is important to assess the influence of mating regimes on the progeny fitness and sex allocation. We, therefore, hypothesise that mating combinations in A. arizonensis adults emerged from different host instars may influence parasitism and sex allocation in the subsequent generation. Therefore, we compared three nymphal instars (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and adults host stages of P. solenopsis for parasitism and sex allocation by A. arizonensis. Further, F₁ female progeny of the parasitoid emerged from different host instars was henceforth evaluated for its fitness in six mating combinations. A. arizonensis females parasitised all the host stages except the 1st instar nymphs. The parasitised 2nd instar nymphs yielded only males, while the sex ratio in the later host instars was strongly female-biased. The parasitoid females preferred 3rd instar nymphs with respect to higher parasitism (74.0–84.0%) and produced more females in the F₁ progeny as compared to other host stages. F₁ females that emerged from 3rd instar nymphs produced significantly higher parasitism (74.0–79.0%). These mating combinations also yielded more female progeny in the F₂ generation. However, parasitism by F₁ females was significantly lower (9.0–12.0%) when mated with males that emerged from 2nd instar P. solenopsis nymphs. Moreover, latter combinations yielded only male progeny in F₂ generation. These findings can be used in laboratory mass rearing of this parasitoid vis-à-vis biological control of P. solenopsis.