Oviposition behaviour of Bracon mellitor, a parasitoid of the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis)

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The parasitoid, Bracon mellitor, will probe with its ovipositor plant structures containing its host. The identification of methyl parahydroxy‐benzoate (methyl parasept), an antimicrobial additive to the semi‐synthetic diet used for rearing the host, as a releaser of this behaviour prompted an investigation of the parasitoid's response to this chemical. Its absence from field hosts suggested the response was learned. Female parasitoids reared in host‐infested cotton plant buds from the fields or in methyl parasept‐free hosts did not respond to methyl parasept alone until exposed to hosts contaminated with it. This is taken to imply associative learning by the females reared from the methyl parasept‐free hosts. A few responses to methyl parasept were elicited from inexperienced females reared from methyl parasept‐contaminated hosts, but their responsiveness increased after they had been exposed to methyl parasept‐contaminated hosts as oviposition stimuli. These results point to the caution that must be exercised in the isolation and identification of kairomones.

Host preference of the facultative hyperparasitoidTetrastichus howardi (Hym.: Eulophidae)

“…Even when there is no attraction for a certain host, this can sometimes be induced by rearing the parasitoid on the host (Thorpe & Jones, 1937). However, it is reported that preadult experience generally has only a minor effect on adult host-searching behaviour, compared to adult experience (Vinson et al, 1977;Sandlan, 1980;Vet, 1983;Drost et al, 1988;Mandeville & Mullens, 1990).…”

Ecology of Infochemical Use by Natural Enemies in a Tritrophic Context

“…Similarly, the discovery of learning in parasitoids has provoked thoughts on improvement of natural enemy efficiency through behavioral manipulation (e.g. 50, 78,81,85,119,176,186,199). However, fundamental research on both the behavioral mechanisms underlying inAnnual Reviews www.annualreviews.org/aronline fochemical utilization and the ecological context within which infochemicals and learning are employed has lagged behind.…”

La spécificité deDiadromus pulchellus [Hyménoptère: Ichneumonidae] vis-à-vis de son hôteAcrolepiopsis assectella, la teigne du poireau

“…En effet, les parasites ne sont dans ce cas/t aucun moment en contact avec un 616ment issu des Allium ou de la teigne du poireau, que ce soit au cours de la vie embryonnaire, larvaire, nymphale ou irnaginale, et ils sont cependant aptes, sans exp6rience pr6alable ~i reconnaitre leur h6te habituel.I1 n'y a donc pas ici de conditionnement pr6-imaginal de m~me que chez diverses Drosophiles (Jaenike, 1982). Ceci n'emp~che pas qu'un apprentissage dfi ~ l'exp6rience puisse agir comme ceci a 6t6 d6montr6 chez d'autres esp6ces d'hym6nopt6res parasite (Arthur,1971 ;Vinson et al, 1977;Vet, 1984) et comme le laisse supposer chez D.pulchellus les observations de Labeyrie (1960) sur le comportement des 99 exp6riment6es en pr6sence de morceaux de bas en nylon. Contrairement ~i Nasonia vitripennis (Smith & Cornell, 1979), D. pulchellus parait peu sensible au conditionnement.…”