Encarsia lutea as an Egg Parasite of Bollworm and Cabbage Looper in Arizona Cotton12

Abstract

Eggs of the bollworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), and the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hübner), on Arizona cotton were parasitized by the eulophid Encarsia lutea (Masi). Although its rate of yearly parasitism is not high, it occurs in numbers that can be measured. In all probability mostly female parasites issue from whiteflies, Trialeurodes abutilonea (Haldeman), and T. vaporariorum (Westwood), but only males emerge from lepidopterous eggs. The parasite can stop development of fertile bollworm and cabbage looper eggs even after they are 2 days old. Virgin female parasites produce males in lepidopterous eggs.