Food characteristics strongly regulate digestive enzymatic activity of insects through direct influences on their midgut mechanisms. Insect performance is better on diets that contain nutrients in proportions that fit its digestive enzymes. Little is known about the influences of rearing history on parasitism success of Habrobracon hebetor Say. This research focused on the effect of nutrient re...

Biological control using hymenopteran parasitoids presents an attractive alternative to insecticides for reducing infestations and damage from the Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), in retail and warehouse environments. We examined the potential for using combinations of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma deion Riley (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), and the ...

The biology of Bracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) reared on fifth instars of Anagasta kuehniella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) (natural diet) and in vitro (artificial diet) was evaluated. Data on the number of instars, development time and food intake were collected, and histochemical tests were conducted to detect proteins and lipids in the parasitoid's digestive tract. The data ...

Pest control in the agricultural fields, a major concern globally, is currently achieved through chemical or biological methods. Chemical methods, which leave toxic residue in the produce, are less preferred than biological methods. Venoms injected by stings of various wasps that kill the pest is considered as the examples of the biological method. Although several studies have investigated the...

Phenoloxidase (PO) is a major component of the insect immune system. The enzyme is involved in encapsulation and melanization processes as well as wound healing and cuticle sclerotization. PO is present as an inactive proenzyme, prophenoloxidase (PPO), which is activated via a protease cascade. In this study, we have cloned a full-length PPO1 cDNA and a partial PPO2 cDNA from the Indianmeal mot...

Parasitoids of dried-fruit insects were surveyed at a culled fig warehouse in Fresno, CA. Three parasitoids of pyralid larvae were found: Habrobracon hebetor (Say), Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst), and at least one species in the genus Goniozus Förster. Two parasitoids of pyralid pupae also were noted: Mesostenus gracilis (Cresson) and a new species of Psilochalcis Keifer. The latter is a new ...

The use of random amplified polymorphic DNA from the polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) allows efficient construction of saturated linkage maps. However, when analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis, most RAPD-PCR markers segregate as dominant alleles, reducing the amount of linkage information obtained. We describe the use of single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of RAPD ma...

Host plasma proteins and protein digestion in larval parasitoids were studied during trophic interactions of the ectoparasitoid Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), with a host, larvae of the Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella Hübner (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). We could detect no apparent differences in host hemolymph protein patterns up to 72 h after paralysation and/or parasit...

Biochemical mechanisms of malathion resistance were investigated in a malathion-resistant strain of the parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor Say collected from a farm storage in Kansas. General esterase activities were significantly lower in the resistant strain compared with those in a susceptible strain. However, no significant differences were found in activities of malathion specific carboxyleste...

The cellular and humoral immune reactions in haemolymph of the wax moth Galleria mellonella larvae naturally injected by venom of ectoparasitic wasp Habrobracon hebetor were analyzed. A strong decline of phenoloxidase (PO) activity in the haemolymph and the number of haemocytes with PO activity of envenomated wax moth was observed. In addition, it has been shown that the rate of capsule melaniz...