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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #81805
Title: COMPARATIVE DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE OF ARTIFICIALLY-REARED VERSUS HOST-REARED DIAPETIMORPHA INTROITA (CRESSON) (HYMENOPTERA: ICHNEUMONIDAE) WASPS

Author
item Carpenter, James

Submitted to: Biological Control
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/10/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: A major advance toward augmentative or inundative releases of parasitoids in the management of the fall armyworm,Spodoptera frugiperda, is precluded largely by the cost of insect rearing. Current methodologies require rearing the host insect on an artificial diet, and then rearing the parasitoid on the host. These methods are expensive because additional insect colonies must be managed, and additional laboratory space, labor, and materials are needed. Diapetimorpha introita (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) is a native ectoparasitoid of S.frugiperda and the beet armyworm, S. exigua. The artificial media used in this study successfully produced D. introita wasps in the absence of any host insect components. These diet-reared wasps demonstrated a propensity to search for and attack natural host in field cage trials. Longevity of diet-reared wasps was comparable with the longevity of wasps reared on natural hosts.

Technical Abstract: Diapetimorpha introita (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), a native ectoparasitoid of Spodoptera spp. pupae, was reared in the laboratory on an artificial diet devoid of any insect host components. Diet reared wasps demonstrated a propensity to search for and parasitize natural hosts in a field cage trial. Longevity of the diet reared wasps was comparable with the longevity of wasps reared on host pupae. Survival rate of D. introita was 67.3% when reared on diet and 76.3% when reared on host pupae. Developmental time was significantly longer for wasps reared on the artificial diet than for wasps reared on host pupae. Reduced fecundity and reduced wasp weight were characteristics of diet reared D. introita. Results from these studies suggest that future research efforts should focus on increasing fecundity and weight of diet reared wasps, and decreasing the mortality and developmental time of wasps reared on the artificial diet. The ability to rear D. introita on an inexpensive, artificial diet significantly enhances the potential of mass rearing this parasitoid for inundative releases against Spodoptera spp.