Development and reproduction of Adalia bipunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on eggs of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Phycitidae) and pollen

Abstract

Due to growing criticism over the use of non-indigenous coccinellids, the two-spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata (L.), has enjoyed increasing attention for aphid biocontrol in Europe. In the current study, eggs of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, whether or not supplemented with bee pollen, were evaluated as a factitious food for larvae and adults of A. bipunctata. The predator showed slower larval development and lower survival when reared on live pea aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), than on E. kuehniella eggs. Survival on gamma-irradiated eggs of E. kuehniella was superior to that on frozen flour moth eggs, but other developmental characteristics were similar. Adults of A. bipunctata reared on Ac. pisum were only half as fecund as those offered irradiated or frozen E. kuehniella eggs, but egg hatch was markedly better on live aphids than on flour moth eggs (61 versus 20-27%, respectively). However, when a diet of flour moth eggs was supplemented with frozen moist bee pollen, egg hatch of A. bipunctata was equally as good as on live aphids. Supplementing flour moth eggs with dry pollen did not yield satisfactory results. Only 10% of larvae reached adulthood on moist bee pollen alone and resulting adults weighed less than half as much as those obtained on flour moth eggs. Our findings indicate that A. bipunctata is able to compensate for a suboptimal diet of animal prey by supplementary feeding on flower pollen. It is concluded that pollinivory may be a crucial trait for both the rearing of this natural enemy and its use in biological control programmes.

Condition-dependent ejaculate size and composition in a ladybird beetle

“…The ladybirds used in these experiments were of the second and third generation reared in our laboratory from a founding population obtained from a biocontrol company (Natural Insect Control, Stevensville, Ontario, Canada). Ladybirds were maintained on pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum, reared on broad bean, Vicia faba) and eggs of the Mediterranean flour moth (Ephestia kuehniella), a standard artificial diet (de Clerq et al 2005).…”

Morphological characterization of pollens from three Apiaceae species and their ingestion by twelve-spotted lady beetle (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

“…Thus, offering attractive flowers to these predator insects represents an agricultural practice to be considered regarding the preservation of said insects in and around the agro-ecosystems, since the nectar (source of carbohydrates) and/or pollen (source of proteins) of these flowers constitute nourishment that could prolong the longevity and fertility of certain predator insects, and consequently, becomes a requirement to optimize their efficacy as biological control agents of agricultural pests (Clercq et al, 2005;Barbosa et al, 2011).…”

Food consumption and immature growth of Adalia bipunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on a natural prey and a factitious food

“…The two-spot ladybird beetle Adalia bipunctata (L.) is a potential natural enemy of M. persicae and other aphids and has been used in augmentative biological control in Europe (Wyss et al, 1999;De Clercq et al, 2005). It is a polyphagous predator (Hodek, 1973), occurring in Europe, Central Asia and North America (Majerus, 1994).…”

“…The use of factitious foods may lower production costs by reducing problems associated with space and manpower required for the mass rearing of live prey and by enhancing the mechanization of the rearing procedures (Waage et al, 1985;De Clercq, 2002;De Clercq et al, 2005). One challenge in developing a factitious (or unnatural) food for a predator is to find a diet which can fully support the growth and reproduction of the natural enemy without deleterious effects on its fitness as a biological control agent.…”