International audienceA molecular key for the identification of common Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) species found in agricultural settings around the Mediterranean is developed based on the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer 2 of the ribosomal cistron. Using the size of the ITS2 PCR product and restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the amplicon, ten Trichogramma species (T. bourarachae Pintureau and Babault, T. brassicae Bezdenko, T. cacoeciae Marchal/T. embryophagum Hartig, T. cordubensis Vargas and Cabello, T. dendrolimi Matsumura, T. euproctidis Girault, T. evanescens Westwood, T. nerudai Pintureau and Gerding, T. oleae Voegelé and Pointel, and T. pintoi Voegelé) can be distinguished

We report the results of experiments conducted with Ephestia kuehniella Zeller to determine the effects of gamma radiation on life stages. Eggs, larvae, pupae and adults were irradiated with increas-

Moth species Ephestia kuehniella and Sitotroga cerealella are serious pests in cereal-based food processing facilities and stores in Turkey. Control of these pests is undertaken by regular space treatment of infested areas with pesticides. An alternative control method could be the release of parasitic wasps of the genus Trichogramma. In laboratory tests, we use T. evanescens as a parasitic wasp reared on the eggs of Ephestia kuehniella. Adult wasps emerging from the host were maintained in glass tubes at 27 ± 1°C, 60-70 ± 5 % r.h and L14:D10 and fed on honey solution. Adults of T. evanescens in vials without food enclosed from host eggs and all died within 1.8 days; in comparison, in vials with honey, live adults were evident for 15.2 days. Fresh (6-48 h) and old (72-96 h) host eggs were offered to T. evanescens and fresh eggs were more accepted than old. Host acceptance of females with males in vials was better than without males. The number of females in the vials also influenced the parasitization rate and single female parasitized more eggs. Adults living in light regime (L14:D10 and L6:D18) parasitized more eggs than in total darkness. Results are discussed with relation to enhancing parasitoid effectiveness in biological control in processing facilities and mills.

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The potential of using gamma and ultraviolet radiation as an alternative treatment to increase the efficiency of Trichogramma euproctidis (Girault 1911) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) was investigated in the laboratory. The developmental and adult stages of T. euproctidis were exposed to gamma radiation of different doses (0-30 Gy) and ultraviolet radiation of 254 nm wavelengths (UV-C) for different durations (0-10 min) to assess their effect on each of the instars and their potential in breaking the developmental cycle of the egg parasitoid. The LD50 values for eggs, prepupae, pupae and adults were 8.1, 10.0, 22.7 and 9.5 Gy for gamma radiation and 9.5, 0.12, 2.0 and 11.9 min for UV radiation, respectively. The pupa and adult stages were more radioresistant to both gamma and UV radiation. The most interesting and unexpected result obtained for the prepupal stage was that UV radiation has a greater effect on prepupal stages than gamma radiation