A bioassay arena was developed to test the response of the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), to various plant-derived factors that may influence the selection of oviposition sites. In choice experiments with natural and artificial plant cues, females preferred to lay eggs in ryegrass rather than in artificial resources. Artificial grass stems received more eg...

Since parasitoids can be reared from their hosts and leave evidence of parasitism after they emerge from hosts, some general outlines of their foraging behavior can be inferred from field studies that do not involve direct observation. However, direct observations are often needed to uncover critical aspects of patch use, host finding, and host use. Studies of parasitoid foraging in the field u...

We report that in a leaf insect, Phyllium westwoodii Wood-Mason (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae), two differing apertures can be used for oviposition, the color of eggs being affected by which aperture is used. Eggs which are forcibly propelled from the internal space within the valvulae of the abdomen are brown, whereas white eggs emerge slowly from the opening between the eighth sternite and the val...

the ovipositiomil behaviour and success of anagyrus pseudococci (girault), an encyrtid endoparasitoid of mealybugs, planococcus citri (risso) and pseudococcus affinis (mask.) were studied in the laboratory. behavioural sequences during oviposition starting from the searching for the host to the post-oviposition activities were described. once encountered, the mealybug host was examined and ...

Superparasitism refers to the oviposition behavior of parasitoid females who lay their eggs in an already parasitized host. This often yields intense competition among larvae that are sharing the same host. Why would a female oviposit in such hostile habitat instead of looking for a better quality, unparasitized host? Here we present a continuous-time model of host-parasitoid interaction and di...

SPECIALIZATION OF INSECT HERBIVORES TO ONE OR A FEW HOST PLANTS STIMULATED THE DEVELOPMENT OF TWO HYPOTHESES ON HOW NATURAL SELECTION SHOULD SHAPE OVIPOSITION PREFERENCES: The "mother knows best" principle suggests that females prefer to oviposit on hosts that increase offspring survival. The "optimal bad motherhood" principle predicts that females prefer to oviposit on hosts that increase thei...

Jadera choprai Göllner-Scheiding (Heteroptera: Rhopalidae) feeds on the ground on mature seeds of Cardiospermum halicacabum (L.) (Sapindaceae). Laboratory observations indicated that females dug a hole of ca. 0.5 cm in the the soil with the forelegs, laid eggs, and covered them with lose soil. In artificial conditions, females buried the eggs in over 60 % of the ovipositions, and nymphs were ab...