title: Beneficial arthropod behavior mediated by airborne semiochemicals : V. Influence of rearing method, host plant, and adult experience on host-searching behavior ofMicroplitis croceipes (Cresson), a larval parasitoid ofHeliothis.
abstract: Rearing the parasitoidM. croceipes on hosts fed cowpea-seedling leaves instead of artificial diet increased the percentage of oriented flights to odors of a cowpea seedling-H. zea complex in a flight tunnel. However, the increase in response was much stronger after adult females had searched a fresh plant-host complex just prior to a test. The host plant appears to be of major importance in the parasitoid-host relationship: host-plant species, growth phase, and part of the host plant influence the parasitoid's response in the flight tunnel. The percentage of inexperienced females responding to infested leaves was higher for 4- to 5-day-old females than for 0- to 1-day-old females, while the response to uninfested flowers was equally high for both age groups. Olfactory experience with odors of an attractive plant-host complex increased the response to an unattractive plant-host complex. Possible implications of the results are discussed.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Insect Attractants, Behavior, and Basic Biology Research Laboratory Agricultural Research Service, 32604, Gainesville, Florida.
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Drost
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tumlinson