Using Gamma Irradiated Galleria mellonella L. and Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) Larvae to Optimize Mass Rearing of Parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Abstract

We evaluated possible improvements to the mass rearing of the larval parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on irradiated host wax moth Galleria mellonella L. and Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae. The use of irradiated G. mellonella and P. interpunctella larvae at the dose of 150 Gy proved useful for enhancing the parasitism and adult emergence of H. hebetor due to the absence of negative repercussions on parasitoid development. Overall, parasitism was increased as the host larvae was irradiated with higher doses, while significantly higher parasitism was recorded at 150 and 300 Gy compared to lower doses. The female parasitoids preferred the irradiated larvae and significantly higher numbers of larvae were parasitized compared with non-irradiated larvae. The results also showed that irradiated larvae of G. mellonella served better as hosts for H. hebetor as compared with irradiated larvae of P. interpunctella. The implementation of these findings would be helpful for improving the mass production of parasitoids and the effectiveness of releases of biocontrol agents for the control of stored product pests.

Cold storage-mediated rearing of Trichogramma evanescens Westwood on eggs of Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) and Galleria mellonella L.

“…evanescens , in terms of more gradual egg “maturation”. In an earlier comparison of these two species as hosts of the larval ectoparasitoid Harbobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Hasan et al [ 29 ] considered G . mellonella as a superior host, due to certain larval characteristics, such as size and longevity.…”

“…Hence, the difference between the two egg age groups for G. mellonella can be narrower as compared with the respective figures of P. interpunctella, which indicates that G. mellonella can be more suitable as a host for T. evanescens, in terms of more gradual egg "maturation". In an earlier comparison of these two species as hosts of the larval ectoparasitoid Harbobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Hasan et al [29] considered G. mellonella as a superior host, due to certain larval characteristics, such as size and longevity. Paradoxically, our data illustrate that 2 d-old eggs of this host species maintain a good level of suitability for parasitism by T. evanescens, for a long period of time, which means that 2 d-old eggs are less affected by storage periods as compared with those of P. interpunctella.…”

“…Still, the interactions of temperature along with different cold storage periods, on rearing of these egg parasitoid species, in conjunction with synchronization patters with the host eggs, are poorly understood. In the current study, we used T. evenescens as a model species in order to demonstrate its performance on eggs of different ages belonging to the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and the wax moth, Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), which are both common hosts of this species [29]. This was carried out in conjunction with illustrating the influence of cold storage parameters in survival and parasitism rates, towards the development of quality control attributes in parasitoid rearing.…”

Development and diapause induction of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) at different photoperiods

“…In this context, generalizations regarding the "optimum" conditions that are related with diapause should be avoided, as any "diapause"-related control strategy may not be accurate. On the other hand, considering that P. interpunctella is an ideal species to rear insect parasitoids, standardization of life table characteristics of a given population may be valuable to produce large numbers of parasitoids whenever these are needed 70,71 . Hence, considering our results, we have found that larvae of P. interpunctella can be used with success at various conditions, as the effect of different photoperiod regimes does not drastically affect diapause induction, when these larvae are reared at 17 °C.…”

Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae) larvae irradiated at higher doses improve the rearing of two species of native parasitoids

“…For making the mass rearing of parasitoids more efficient, the host insect larvae are being irradiated (Cancino, Ruiz, Viscarret, Sivisnki, & Hendrichs, 2012; Hendrichs et al., 2009). Parasitoids reared on irradiated host demonstrated better fitness due to the reduced immunological response of hosts (Hassan, Yeasmin, Athanassiou, Bari, & Islam, 2019; Muhammad, Ahmad, Rashidi, & Ahmad, 2013; Sarwar, Ahmad, Rashid, & Masoom‐Shah, 2015). Some other studies showed that the irradiation of host insects undermines their defence, prevents their development and triggers a faster development of the parasitoids (Cai et al., 2018; Cancino, Ruiz, López, & Sivinski, 2009; Carton, Poiríe, & Nappi, 2008; Costa, Pachea, Lopez, Botteo, & Mastrangelo, 2016; Dubovskii et al., 2010; Hepdurgun, Turanli, & Zümreoğlu, 2009; Silva, Boleli, & Simoes, 2002; Suárez et al, 2019).…”