Probing behaviour of Aphis craccivora Koch on host plants of different nutritional quality

Abstract

1. Reciprocal transfer experiments were undertaken using four different hosts to examine the effects of a change in host at adult moult on the probing behaviour of the cowpea aphid Aphis craccivora Koch. 2. The highest intrinsic rate of increase rm was achieved by aphids born and reared on cowpea, followed by those born and reared on broad bean, then Larissa, and finally Huia. 3. Mean probing time, time to first probe, number of probes per time allocation, and non-probing time were all examined. Host quality rm did not affect the instantaneous probability of probing, and aphids that did not find a probing site within 200s did not settle and did not probe further on that leaf/stem.