Kairomonal effect of sex pheromone components of two lepidopteran olive pests on Trichogramma wasps

Abstract

Egg parasitoids are known to use a wide range of chemicals, emitted by plants, host eggs or adults, for host selection. The effect of the sex pheromone components of the lepidopteran olive pests Prays oleae (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) and Palpita unionalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was studied under laboratory conditions, on the foraging behaviour of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma oleae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). The response of T. oleae wasps to (Z)-7-tetradecenal and (E)-11-hexadecenal, major sex pheromone components of P. oleae and P. unionalis respectively, depended on the dose of the pheromone used in a Y-tube olfactometer bioassay. (E)-11-hexadecenal elicited maximum attraction (70%) at a dose of 1 μg, while a dose of 100 μg (Z)-7-tetradecenal attracted 80% of the tested wasps. (E)-11-hexadecenyl acetate, the second sex pheromone component of P. unionalis, and the binary blend of (E)-11-hexadecenyl acetate: (E)-11-hexadecenal (7:3) were not attractive at these doses. The results of this research are discussed in view that they may be considered as alternatives in the biological control of these pests. © 2009 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.