Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #349649
Research Project: Biological Control of Invasive Arthropod Pests from the Eastern Hemisphere

Location: Location not imported yet.

Title: Mass-rearing optimization of the parasitoid Psyttalia lounsburyi for biological control of the olive fruit fly

Author
item CHARDONNET, FLORIANE - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL)
item BLANCHET, ARNAUD - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL)
item MARINI, FRANCESCA - Bbca-Onlus, Italy
item BON, MARIE-CLAUDE - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL)
item DAANE, KENT - University Of California
item PICKETT, CHARLIE - California Department Of Food And Agriculture
item WANG, XINGENG - University Of California
item Smith, Lincoln

Submitted to: International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/11/2017
Publication Date: 9/18/2017
Citation: Chardonnet, F., Blanchet, A., Marini, F., Bon, M., Daane, K., Pickett, C., Wang, X., Smith, L. 2017. Mass-rearing optimization of the parasitoid Psyttalia lounsburyi for biological control of the olive fruit fly. 5th International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods, Langkawi Island, Malaysia, Sept. 10-15, 2017. PP. 286-289.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Tephritidae), discovered in 1998 in California, is a direct pest of olives that has invaded the Mediterranean Region and California (Rice et al. 2003; Zalom et al. 2009). The fly is believed to have originated from Africa (Hoelmer et al. 2011), and Psyttalia lounsburyi (Braconidae), a larval parasitoid from Africa, has been approved for release in the USA as a classical biological agent (Copeland et al. 2004; Daane et al. 2015). P. lounsburyi oviposits on B. oleae larvae inside the olive fruit, and completes development after the host pupates. However, it has been difficult to rear the parasitoid in the laboratory because it is multivoltine, and the host develops only in fresh olives, which are not available for most of the year (Daane et al. 2008). A method to rear the parasitoid on the factitious host, Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) which can be reared on artificial diet throughout the year, was developed by Thaon et al. (2009). Although functional, this method needed to be improved to allow mass production indispensable for release in the field. Thus, we developed in our laboratory a number of ways to improve the efficiency of rearing by focussing on increasing productivity per female and reducing human labor.