A series of experiments were conducted to study the storage life of Anaphes iole Girault (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) parasitizing eggs of lygus bug Lygus hesperus Knight at different developmental stages, temperatures and photoperiods. Lygus eggs, parasitized by Anaphes iole were held for one, three, six and nine days and were stored at 10 and 4 ºC, and two photoperiods (complete darkness and 09:15 (L:D)) for 20, 40, 60, and 80 days. The highest adult emergence resulted from parasitized lygus eggs held for six days at 29 ºC and then stored for 40, 60 and 80 days. Adult emergence was better when eggs were stored at 10 ºC than at 4 ºC. Complete darkness gave better adult emergence than 9:15 (L:D) photoperiod. When six-day old parasitized lygus eggs were stored in complete darkness at 10 ºC for 20, 40, 60 and 80 days there were 62.90, 42.50, 29.60 and 8.35% emergence respectively. Significantly lower number of adult A. iole emerged from lygus eggs parasitized by A. iole then held for one, three and nine days after parasitization at 29 ºC then stored at 4 °C, 9:15 (L:D) photoperiod, than from eggs parasitized and held for six days at 29 ºC and then stored in complete darkness at 10 ºC.

Anaphes iole; Lygus; storage; photoperiod; temperature; developmental stages; parasitiod

Published by University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, CROATIA
Sponsored by Ministry Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia