Honeydew Is a Food Source and a Contact Kairomone for Aphelinus mali
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Publication date
2023-04-29ISSN
2075-4450
Abstract
Many parasitoids need to feed on sugar sources at the adult stage. Although nectar has
been proven to be a source of higher nutritional quality compared to honeydew excreted by phloem
feeders, the latter can provide the necessary carbohydrates for parasitoids and increase their longevity,
fecundity and host searching time. Honeydew is not only a trophic resource for parasitoids, but
it can also constitute an olfactory stimulus involved in host searching. In this study, we combined
longevity measurements in the laboratory, olfactometry and feeding history inference of individuals
caught in the field to test the hypothesis that honeydew excreted by the aphid Eriosoma lanigerum
could serve as a trophic resource for its parasitoid Aphelinus mali as well as a kairomone used by the
parasitoid to discover its hosts. Results indicate that honeydew increased longevity of A. mali females
if water was provided. Water could be necessary to feed on this food source because of its viscosity
and its coating by wax. The presence of honeydew allowed longer stinging events by A. mali on E.
lanigerum. However, no preference towards honeydew was observed, when given the choice. The
role of honeydew excreted by E. lanigerum on A. mali feeding and searching behavior to increase its
efficiency as a biological control agent is discussed.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
632 - Plant damage, injuries. Plant diseases. Pests, organisms injurious to plants. Plant protection
Pages
11
Publisher
MDPI
Is part of
Insects
Citation
Peñalver‐Cruz, Ainara, Pascale Satour, Bruno Jaloux, and Blas Lavandero. 2023. “Honeydew Is a Food Source and a Contact Kairomone for Aphelinus Mali.” Insects 14 (5): 426. doi:10.3390/insects14050426.
Program
Protecció Vegetal Sostenible
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2647]
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/