Influence of predator density, diet and living substrate on developmental fitness of Orius laevigatus

Abstract

Mass rearing of Orius laevigatus on non-insect foods could substantially increase the cost-effectiveness of the production of this biological control agent which is largely based on the use of expensive eggs of the Mediterranean flour moth Ephestia kuehniella. In this study, the effect of substrate quality and predator density on nymphal development of O. laevigatus fed on E. kuehniella eggs, honeybee pollen or an egg yolk based artificial diet was assessed using several types of substrates as shelter materials in the rearing containers (wax paper, bean pod or no extra substrate). In general, E. kuehniella eggs proved to be a nutritionally superior food compared to pollen and artificial diet. Pollen supported nymphal development of O. laevigatus better than the artificial diet. Overall, increasing nymphal density resulted in higher mortality, which may be due in part to cannibalism. The addition of a bean pod compensated for the nutritionally suboptimal artificial, but had a negative effect when O. laevigatus was fed on pollen. The non-insect foods tested could not adequately replace lepidopteran eggs as a food source for O. laevigatus but they may be useful as an alternative food or in a part of the rearing process

Moisture Source and Diet affect Development and Reproduction ofOrius thripoborusandOrius naivashae, two Predatory Anthocorids from Southern Africa

“…However, these survival rates are similar or even better than those reported for other Orius spp. reared on pollen from various sources in combination with plant tissue (Kiman and Yeargan 1985; Richards and Schmidt 1996; Vacante et al 1997; Venkatesan et al 2008; Lundgren 2009; Bonte and De Clercq 2010b). …”

Thermal Biology of the Predatory BugsOrius thripoborusandO. naivashae(Hemiptera: Anthocoridae)

“…The food of the adults consisted of a mixture of frozen Ephestia kuehniella Zeller eggs (Koppert B.V., Berkel en Rodenrijs, The Netherlands) and dry honey bee pollen (N.V. WeynÕs Honingbedrijf, Ghent, Belgium). To reduce cannibalism, a wrinkled piece of wax paper was placed in each container (Bonte and De Clercq 2011).…”

Survival and developmental characteristics of the predatory bug Orius similis (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) fed on Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Acari: Tetranychidae) at three constant temperatures

“…Previous literature is mainly on the use of Orius spp. for the biocontrol of thrips (Dogramaci et al, 2011), aphids (Bulter & O'Neil, 2006;Zhou et al, 2006), and young larvae or eggs of some lepidopterous insects (Bonte & De Clercq, 2011). However, little attention has so far been devoted to using Orius spp.…”

“…The mass rearing of Orius for release into the field or greenhouses for the biological control of pests is feasible Survival and developmental characteristics of the predatory bug Orius similis (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) fed on Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Acari: Tetranychidae) at three constant temperatures and could result in the reduction in the use of pesticides (Bonte & De Clercq, 2011). However, before releasing these bugs it is important to determine the temperature at which this bug is most efficient at controlling pests and the best time to release them in the field.…”