Influence of the eggs of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) reared on different diets on the performance of the predatory bug Orius laevigatus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae)

Abstract

http://www.eje.cz is possible to mass-rear many species of Lepidoptera (Silhacek & Miller, 1972; Tunçbilek et al., 2009; Kurtuluş et al., 2020). Moreover, eggs are easy to handle and can be prevented from hatching by freezing or UV sterilization (Isenhour & Yeargan, 1981; Samsoe-Petersen et al., 1989). However, in order to facilitate the use of augmentative biological control there is a need to reduce production costs (Bonte & De Clerq, 2010a). The use of E. kuehniella eggs as the main food source in mass-rearing programs of O. laevigatus can increase the production cost (De Clercq et al., 2005a). This has led to a search for cheaper alternatives such as brine shrimp (Artemia sp.) cysts and many artifi cial diets (Arijs & De Clercq, 2001, 2004; De Clercq et al., 2005a). However, the nutritional value of brine shrimp cysts as a source of food is not equal to that of E. kuehniella eggs (Arijs & De Clercq, 2001). On the other hand, developing artifi cial diets for parasitoids and predators can simplify their mass-rearing and make it more cost-effective. However, the nutritional values of artifi cial diets are often inferior to the natural prey or hosts of natural enemies (Grenier, 2009). Many studies show that using alternative diets for feeding several Infl uence of the eggs of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) reared on different diets on the performance of the predatory bug Orius laevigatus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae

Comparative life history and demographic parameters of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on maize and oat flours

“…Consequently, this pest is the subject of many biological control studies that involve rearing natural enemies, and extensive mass production of E. kuehniella is carried out in laboratories. Several studies have focused on optimizing the diet for time and cost-effective mass production of Ephestia species for finding the faster development of stages, higher fecundity, and higher pre-adult survival rates (Ayvaz and Karabörklü, 2008;Faal-Mohammad-Ali and Shishehbor, 2013;Moghaddassi et al, 2019;Nezhad et al, 2016;Pehlivan, 2021;Wang et al, 2021).…”

Negative Effects of Phthorimaea absoluta-Resistant Tomato Genotypes on the Zoophytophagous Biocontrol Agent, Orius laevigatus (Fieber) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae)

“…A stock colony of O. laevigatus was established with about one thousand newly emerged adults obtained from BioBee (Sde Eliyahu, Israel). The bugs were reared in ventilated plastic boxes provided with Ephestia kuehniella eggs [ 39 ] attached to sticky Post-it ® Note (5 cm × 2 cm). Fresh tender geranium shoots were provided to the bugs every three days as water and food sources, as well as oviposition position medium.…”