The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L), is recognized as a widely distributed and serious pest of crucifers in many countries. In some countries, however, it is effectively suppressed by parasites. These are critically examined as are the various attempts to import parasites and to release them. The appraisal reveals that the parasites of P. xylostella are a valuable control component an...

Eight species of parasitic wasps were bred from various stages of five species of hesperiids viz. Thoressa evershedi (Evans), Pelopidas mathias (Fabricius), Udaspes folus (Cramer), Borbo cinnara (Wallace) and Caltoris sp. inhabiting Western Ghats, Kerala, India. One new species, Dolichogenidea kunhi Gupta & Kalesh, is described and illustrated from Kerala, India, and its relationship with close...

The evaluation of Apanteles plutellae Kurdj and two introduced parasites, Diadegma eucerophaga Grav and Thyraeella collaris Horstn of Plutella xylostella was carried out by first measuring the searching efficiency (in terms of area of discovery (a), the killing power (K), and other biological attributes in the laboratory, and then in the field. The laboratory results indicated that D. euceropha...

The biological control potential of parasitic wasps in the field is expected to increase with the provisioning of sugar sources, which increase longevity and replenish carbohydrate reserves. Apanteles aristoteliae is an important parasitoid of Argyrotaenia franciscana, the orange tortrix, an economic pest in fruit crops. In the present study, the effect of sugar diet on the physiological status...