Abstract
The trichogrammatid Trichogramma bournieri Pintureau & Babault is a polyphagous parasitoid of eggs of several cereal stemborer species in eastern Africa. The effects of host species, host age and duration of host deprivation on the performance of the parasitoid were studied in the laboratory. Host acceptance and suitability were tested using five stemborer species. The noctuids Sesamia calamistis Hampson, Sesamia nonagrioides (Lefebvre), Busseola fusca (Fuller) the crambid Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) and the pyralid Eldana saccharina Walker were successfully parasitized by T. bournieri. Parasitism, number of progeny and developmental time varied significantly with host species. The eggs of S. calamistis and B. fusca were the most suitable, whereas those of E. saccharina were the least suitable. While parasitism and number of progeny tended to decrease with age of hosts, there were no significant differences in sex ratio. Longevity of the parasitoid increased with increase in deprivation of hosts from 0 to 12 days. Average lifetime fecundity per female decreased, indicating resorption of eggs.
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