4.3. Oviposition behaviour<br>Psyllaephagus pistaciae performed a sequence of intensive behaviour after encountering a psyllid nymph. Once a psyllid nymph was detected, it was examined by antennation, and upon antennal acceptance the parasitoid tried to insert her ovipositor into the host body via a suitable site. The parasitoid preferentially probed the psyllid in the thorax area particularly underneath the wing buds. In this regard, Vinson (1998) stated that after antennation, female parasitoid probe the host with the ovipositor, presumably seeking a proper place to begin to drill or penetrate the covering or host cuticle. Under our experimental conditions about 90% of stung psyllids were oviposited in successfully and only a single egg was laid per host, while the remaining 10% were used for host feeding. Total handling time was relatively short for all five psyllid nymphal instars. Furthermore, the handling time of larger hosts was longer than that of the younger ones. These differences may be because the integument of older psyllids is more sclerotized, although the defence behaviour by fifth instars was also considerable. It is concluded that the high rate of successful oviposition, the short handling time and a good daily fecundity (Mehrnejad, 1998) of P. pistaciae all are favourable characteristics for a proficient biological control agent.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
![](//thimg.ilovetranslation.com/pic/loading_3.gif?v=b9814dd30c1d7c59_8619)