title: Postteneral protein feeding may improve biological control efficiency of Aphytis lingnanensis and Aphytis melinus.
abstract: The augmentative releases of mass-reared Aphytis spp. (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) parasitoids are widely used against armored scales. The nutritional status and the initial egg load of Aphytis spp. females are key to their success as biological control agents. For these reasons, this work focuses on the study of providing a protein feed to Aphytis lingnanensis (Compere) and A. melinus DeBach to improve the egg load before their release. The addition of protein to a honey diet during the first 2 d after the adult parasitoid emergence increased the initial egg load in both species of parasitoids by more than five eggs. Furthermore, the addition of protein increased the total number of eggs laid by A. lingnanensis on oleander scale, Aspidiotus nerii Bouché (Hemiptera: Diaspididae). In contrast, this effect was not observed on A. melinus probably because A. nerii is considered a suboptimal host for this parasitoid. The host-feeding activities of the two Aphytis species were differentially affected by the addition of protein to their diets. These results may have direct implications for augmentative biological control programs, especially during transportation from insectaries to the field, a period of time when parasitoids are deprived of hosts.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Entomología, Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Carretera Moncada-Náquera km 4.5 46113 Moncada Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vanaclocha
authors.affiliation: Bugs for Bugs, Bowen Street, Mundubbera, 4626 QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Papacek
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Entomología, Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Carretera Moncada-Náquera km 4.5 46113 Moncada Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Verdú
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Entomología, Centro de Protección Vegetal y Biotecnología, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Carretera Moncada-Náquera km 4.5 46113 Moncada Valencia, Spain aurbaneja@ivia.es.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urbaneja
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D061046:Biological Control Agents; D052284:Clutch Size / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D005260:Female; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000469:parasitology; D010063:Ovum; D014863:Wasps / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D061046:Biological Control Agents; D004044:Dietary Proteins
keywords: egg load; honey; host-feeding; parasitism