Biocontrol Science and Technology (2002) 12, 205-215
Gustavo Baeza Larios, John Sivinski, Tim Holler and Martin Aluja (2002)
The effects of chilling on the fecundity and life span of mass-reared parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Biocontrol Science and Technology 12 (2), 205-215
Abstract: Suppression of Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), populations may be achieved through the mass-rearing and augmentative aerial release of opiine braconid parasitoids. Typically, aerial release techniques require up to one hour of chilling of adult parasitoids at temperatures as low as 3.5°C prior to their dissemination. Such chilling potentially could affect the subsequent performance of the insects. Among three species of the genus Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead), tryoni (Cameron), and krausii (Fullaway) there was little or no affect of chilling in the laboratory on female longevity, production of daughters, or offspring sex ratio. This is consistent with previous experiments that found chilling to have no discernable effect on the short-term mortality of D. tryoni or on its ability to take flight immediately after aerial release. While there was little effect of chilling on longevity and fecundity in a species from another opiine genus, Fopius arisanus (Sonan), exposure to low temperatures did result in a significantly more male-biased offspring sex ratio.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): John M. Sivinski, Martín Aluja
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
application technology
inundative/inoculative release
Pest and/or beneficial records:
| Beneficial | Pest/Disease/Weed | Crop/Product | Country | Quarant.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceratitis capitata | ||||
| Fopius arisanus (parasitoid) | Ceratitis capitata | |||
| Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (parasitoid) | Ceratitis capitata | |||
| Diachasmimorpha tryoni (parasitoid) | Ceratitis capitata | |||
| Diachasmimorpha kraussii (parasitoid) | Ceratitis capitata |
