Effects of cold storage on life‐history traits ofAphidius matricariae

Abstract

Aphidius matricariae Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a polyphagous solitary endoparasitoid, attacking more than 40 species of aphids. This parasitoid is an important commercial product of many companies that produce biological control agents. Storage at low temperature increases the shelf life of many biocontrol agents, allowing companies to provide a steady and sufficient supply of insects for biocontrol programs. In the current study, the effects of cold storage of 1‐day‐old host mummies with A. matricariae for various time periods (5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 days) at 5 °C on the parasitoid’s key life‐history traits were investigated. Parameters assessed after storage included adult emergence rate, offspring sex ratio, adult longevity, oviposition period, fecundity, and life‐table parameters (R0, r, λ, T, and DT). Our results showed that the mummies of A. matricariae could be stored at 5 °C for 5 days without loss of quality and for 10–15 days with minimal reduction in quality (e.g., some reduction in adult longevity and R0). If parasitoids were stored for >15 days, quality was more strongly affected. In conclusion, A. matricariae pupae could be stored at 5 °C for up to 15 days without significant negative post‐storage effects on fitness of the parasitoid. These results could be used to improve the planning of mass rearing and mass release of A. matricariae in augmentative biological control programs.

Effect of Pupal Cold Storage on Reproductive Performance of Microplitis manilae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a Larval Parasitoid of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

“…Although there are existing advantages, keeping parasitoids at sub-ambient temperatures adversely affects the fitness of some parasitoids [ 19 , 20 ]. Therefore, to minimize the parasitoid reproductive performance loss after cold storage, it is necessary to investigate the effect of cold storage on the biological parameters of parasitoids, which contributes to establishing technical constraints for their commercial production and application [ 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

Effect of Cold Storage on the Quality of Psyttalia incisi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a Larval Parasitoid of Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae)

“…However, keeping parasitoids at a sub-ambient temperature can result in cold injuries and excessive consumption of energy reserves, resulting in undesirable effects on the quality and quantity of post-storage parasitoids [ 11 ]. Hence, to minimize losses in the performance of parasitoids after undergoing storage, packaging, and shipment, recent research has focused on optimizing the tradeoffs between quality and the cold storage protocol [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. For braconid parasitoids against tephritid pests, the impacts of cold storage have been evaluated in several species, such as Psyttalia humilis (Silvestri), Psyttalia ponerophaga (Silvestri), Fopius arisanus (Sonan), and Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae); these works have provided a lot of valuable information for facilitating the practical application of biological control programs [ 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

The effects of storage temperature, food, and humidity on survival and progeny of Neoseiulus bicaudus

“…Coudron et al (2007) reported that a high percentage of adult Podisus maculiventris Say (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) survived for 4 weeks at 10°C. Rezaei et al (2020) found that the pupae of Aphidius matricariae Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) could be stored for 15 d at 5°C without any detrimental effects. Larentzaki et al (2007) stored adult F. vespiformis for 3.5 weeks at 10.0 and 12.5°C, and found that the eggs could be stored for 4-5 weeks at 12.5°C.…”