REARING MICROPLITIS DEMOLITOR WILKINSON (HYMENOPTERA: BRACONIDAE) IN THE LABORATORY FOR USE IN STUDIES OF SEMIOCHEMICAL MEDIATED SEARCHING BEHAVIOR

Abstract

Microplitis demolitor Wilkinson were reared in Heliothis zea (Boddie) larvae fed artificial diet and cowpea seedlings. The effect of temperature on development time, food and humidity on adult longevity, and cage design on mating and subsequent sex ratio of the progeny of M. demolitor were tested and are discussed. It was determined that individual pairs of males and females should be held in mating chambers for at least 24 hours in order to obtain a high percentage of inseminated parent females. Females used for parasitization should be at least 24 hours old in order to obtain the maximum number of female progeny. A 25-day longevity of female parasitoids was obtained when they were fed unadulterated honey and a separate water source, and confined in 90–95% relative humidity. A parasitoid survival of 74% was obtained in the hosts when they were reared individually on artificial diet at 27°C. Our rearing techniques were shown to produce parasitoids with a consistent high host searching response as shown by tests involving use of volatile semiochemicals in a wind tunnel.