Walking activity of a predatory ladybird, Cheilomenes propinqua: impacts of photoperiod, temperature, and starvation

Signal and Nutritional Effects of Mixed Diets on Reproduction of a Predatory Ladybird, Cheilomenes propinqua

“…This predatory ladybird shows not only a wide prey range, but also broad habitat specificity reaching high population densities in fields, orchards, vineyards, and other agricultural landscapes [44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54]. Preliminary laboratory studies showed that C. propinqua has a number of desirable properties of a potential successful mass-reared biocontrol agent: rapid pre-adult development (10-11 days), high voracity (depending on prey species, larva consumed a total of about 500 aphids, female consumed 40-80 aphids per day), high lifetime fecundity (about 1000 eggs per female) and prey search activity [20,[55][56][57][58][59]. Indeed, a recent study showed that C. propinqua can be successfully used for the biological control of greenhouse pests [56].…”

“…However, wide-scale use of a predatory insect for biocontrol in greenhouses is impossible without the development of optimal methods for its mass rearing and storage, which in turn requires detailed knowledge of its ecophysiology. Earlier laboratory studies conducted on C. propinqua concerned the factors influencing the rate of development and maturation, fecundity, walking activity, and storage potential [20,44,45,55,58,59]. In these studies, various foods were tested but the problem of selection of a cost-effective diet for laboratory and mass rearing still remains unsolved.…”