Floral Resources Enhance Fecundity, but Not Flight Activity, in a Specialized Aphid Predator, Hippodamia convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Adult aphid predators disperse across the landscape seasonally in search of prey aggregations that are patchily distributed and temporally variable. However, flight is energetically costly consumes resources could be invested reproduction. Hippodamia convergens an important predator North American cereal crops other agricultural systems. Consumption floral can enhance adult survival during periods low availability may improve reproductive success. We tested how omnivorous diet containing (diluted honey pulverized bee pollen) interacts with body size to influence reproduction behavior compared a prey-only diet. Two sizes beetles were produced by controlling larval access food—3 h daily small beetles; ad libitum large faster development. Reproductive performance was tracked for 18 days, female activity assayed via 3 bouts tethered flight. Diet composition interacted preoviposition period, females treatments delaying oviposition longest. The improved 18-day fecundity relative diet, but egg fertility unaffected. affected pattern, laying smaller, more numerous, clutches. Females flew up 7 km 6 h, neither nor influenced distance, suggesting all generated energy reserves sufficient power flights short duration. pre-reproductive > 60% further than they did post-reproduction, likely due energetic costs oviposition. Thus, pollen nectar increased success altered patterns H. , indicating importance conservation this its biological control services.