Effects of temperature and food on adult longevity of a Thailand strain of Bracon hebetor, a larval parasitoid of pyralid moths

Abstract

The larval parasitoid Bracon hebetor (Say) is found to parasitize the larvae of pyralid moths in grain storages in Thailand. To determine effectiveness of this parasitoid as a biological control agent in the storages, we examined effects of temperature and food on adult longevity of a Thailand strain of B. hebetor in the laboratory. When nothing, water or 50% honey solution was provided at 15-25°C, females lived significantly longer than males, except for the treatments with nothing or water at 25°C. Longevity of both sexes provided with nothing, water or honey solution, increased with decreasing temperature, except for those with water or nothing at 20-25°C. Both sexes provided with honey solution lived longer than those with nothing or water at temperatures tested. That B. hebetor is abundant in storages where no food source exists may be due to this relatively long longevity in dry condition.