Environmental Entomology (1987) 16, 1207-1210
Jerome F. Grant and Merle Shepard (1987)
Development of Brachymeria ovata (Say) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) in freezer-stored pupae of lepidopteran species
Environmental Entomology 16 (6), 1207-1210
Abstract: The parasitoid Brachymeria ovata (Say) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) oviposited and developed in pupae of Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), Trichoplusia ni (Hübner), Heliothis zea (Boddie), Heliothis virescens (F.), Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), S. frugiperda (J. E. Smith), and Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hübner) (all Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), that had been frozen at -20°C for 30-90 d, and thawed for 4-6 h at 27°C prior to exposure. Adult B. ovata which developed from these hosts mated and produced fertile offspring. Parasitoids oviposited and developed in A. gemmatalis pupae that had been stored at -20°C for as many as 256 d before exposed to parasitoids. In addition, parasitoids developed from freezer-stored A. gemmatalis pupae that had been removed from the freezer (-20°C) and held at 27°C for as many as 8 d before exposed to parasitoids. Thus, freezer storage may be a feasible method of obtaining large numbers of hosts for mass rearing of B. ovata.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
rearing/culturing/mass production
