learning ability and memory duration are two inseparable factors which can increase theefficiency of a living organism during its lifetime. trichgramma brassice bezdenko (hym.:trichogrammatidae) is a biological control agent widely used against different pest species.this research was conducted to study the olfactory associative learning ability and memoryduration of t. brassicae under laborato...

Virgin females of the parasitoid wasp Trichogramma turkestanica produce minute amounts of a sex pheromone, the identity of which has not been fully established. The enantioselective synthesis of a putative component of this pheromone, (6S,8S,10S)-4,6,8,10-tetramethyltrideca-2E,4E-dien-1-ol (2), is reported as a contribution to this identification. Catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition of meth...

In laboratory experiments we compared the mortality of Plutella xylostella L. eggs induced by six products of trichogrammatid egg parasitoids. Five of the species were commercially available, and the sixth is under development. Each of the six products represented a single species of trichogrammatid (Trichogrammatoidea bactraeNagaraja,Trichogrammapretiosum Riley, T. ostriniae Pan & Chen, T. pla...

Many insects possess a sexual communication system that is vulnerable to chemical espionage by parasitic wasps. We recently discovered that a hitch-hiking (H) egg parasitoid exploits the antiaphrodisiac pheromone benzyl cyanide (BC) of the Large Cabbage White butterfly Pieris brassicae. This pheromone is passed from male butterflies to females during mating to render them less attractive to con...

The life table statistics of six native Kenyan species/strains of Trichogramma and Trichogrammatoidea were established using a factitious host Corcyra cephalonica, Stainton (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), at eight different temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 28, 30, 32 and 35 degrees C) and two humidity levels (40-50 and 70-80%). The objective was to select insects with superior attributes for augmentativ...

Trichogramma wasps are tiny hymenopterous egg parasitoids widely used in biological control programs worldwide. The huge quantities of insects necessary for inundative releases are mainly produced on factitious hosts like Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), or on silkworms. In order to simplify production, increase its flexibility, and potentially reduce cost, studies on arti...