Phytoparasitica (2011) 39, 27-34

Evaldo Martins Pires, José Cola Zanuncio and José Eduardo Serrão (2011)
Cannibalism of Brontocoris tabidus and Podisus nigrispinus during periods of pre-release without food or fed with Eucalyptus cloeziana plants
Phytoparasitica 39 (1), 27-34
Abstract: Pre-release techniques aim to increase the searching by the predators for their prey. Keeping bug predators for periods without food before their release can increase the search ability of these insects. However, this practice can increase the cannibalism during mass rearing. Brontocoris tabidus (Signoret) and Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) were kept for 12, 24, 36 and 48 h without food or with only Eucalyptus cloeziana plants in order to verify the occurrence of cannibalism on adults and eggs. Insects kept for periods longer than 24 h showed higher cannibalism on adults and eggs and the presence of a E. cloeziana plant decreased the cannibalism during all the treatment periods. These predators preferred to attack first the eggs rather than the adults, probably because of the inability of the former to avoid predation. The pre-release period should not exceed 24 h and plants must be provided to the predators in order to reduce the occurrence of cannibalism and increase the predatory capacity of these natural enemies.
(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): José Cola Zanuncio, José Eduardo Serrao

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
rearing/culturing/mass production

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Podisus nigrispinus (predator)
Brontocoris tabidus (predator)