Kairomonal Stimulation of Oviposition into an Artificial Substrate by the Endoparasitoid Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Parasitism of a Factitious Host, Galleria Mellonella (lepidoptera: Pyralidae) by an Endoparasitoid: Oviposition and Emergence of Microplitis Croceipes (hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Ecology and Behavior Sugar Diet Affects Odor Reception but Variation in Sugar Concentration Plays Minimal Role in the Response of the Parasitoid, Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), to Host-Related Plant Volatiles

Parasitoids utilize various sugar resources in nature, and rely on odor cues from plants to locate their food and hosts. However, lack of sugar in the diet may negatively impact odor reception in parasitoids, thus affecting foraging efficiency. We used Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a larval endoparasitoid of Heliothis virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), as a mo...

Effects of cold storage on the biological characteristics of Microplitis prodeniae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

The endoparasitoid Microplitis prodeniae Rao and Chandry is an important potential augmentative biological control agent for lepidopteran pests of vegetables and tobacco. However, cold storage of pupae is required to ensure that sufficient parasitoids are available when they are needed in the field. In this study, pupae were maintained at 0, 4 or 10°C for 5-50 days after which the adults were e...

Functional morphology of antennal chemoreceptors of the parasitoid Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

The specialist parasitoid, Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), uses chemical cues from plants damaged by herbivore-feeding and also plant by-products in host location and acceptance. These chemicals are detected by the wasp's antennae. We conducted scanning and transmission electron microscopy studies of male and female M. croceipes antennae and detected no distinct morph...

Intrinsic competition and its effects on the survival and development of three species of endoparasitoid wasps.

In natural systems, pre-adult stages of some insect herbivores are known to be attacked by several species of parasitoids. Under certain conditions, hosts may be simultaneously parasitised by more than one parasitoid species (= multiparasitism), even though only one parasitoid species can successfully develop in an individual host. Here, we compared development, survival, and intrinsic competit...