Effect of Temperature on Parasitism and Host-Feeding of Trichogramma turkestanica (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) on Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Abstract The egg parasitoid Trichogramma turkestanica Meyer is being evaluated as a biological control agent against the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, in flour mills. The longevity, parasitism and host-feeding of the parasitoid at four constant temperatures (15–30°C) has been determined in the laboratory. The highest fecundity occurred at intermediate temperatures. The number of host eggs killed by host-feeding per female was highest at the two lower temperatures. A very conservative estimate of host-feeding showed that it accounts for approximately half of the mortality of host eggs at 20 and 25°C and thus could constitute a major mortality factor for the flour moth population.

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