| Mass rearing of parasitoids is a fundamental step for biological control programs. The biological characteristics of Palmistichus elaeisis Delvare & LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were evaluated in pupae of Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) stored at low temperatures. Twenty four hours-old pupae of A. gemmatalis were stored at 12 °C for 0, 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 d and then exposed to parasitism by P. elaeisis females. The life span of P. elaeisis was affected and ranged from 19 to 24 d on the pupae of the host. Parasitism reached 100% of the host pupae after storage in all periods at 12 °C, and adults emerged from 20.00 to 54.54% of them. The progeny of P. elaeisis ranged from 71 to 198 and had an inverse relationship with the... |
