Abstract
The ability of Bracon hebetor Say, a larval parasitoid of certain stored product moths, to suppress a Plodia interpunctella (Hlibner) population was studied in differing rice products. The larvae of P. interpunctella gathered on the topmost layer of the experiment cages filled with rice product (less than 3 cm in depth), and were rarely observed in deeper depths (deeper than 3 cm). Without P. interpunctella, B. he-etor did not show a preference for any of the three types of milled rice products used. In rice flour, the searching behavior of B. hebetor for P. interpunctella was limited, apparently due to the thick webbing pro-uced by the moth larvae. B. hebetor suppressed P. interpunctella population successfully in cracked rice kernels, but failed to suppress the moth population in rice flour. In whole rice kernels, B. hebetor suppressed the moth population only when the volume of rice in the cage was large enough to support a high population density of P. interpunctella (2.4 kg/cage). Success and failure of B. hebetor to suppress the moth population in the three different rice products are discussed in relation to the larval webbing and intraspecific com-etition of P. interpunctella larvae.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.