The establishment of a rearing technique for the fruit fly parasitoid Baryscapus silvestrii increases knowledge of biological, ecological and behavioural traits

Abstract

We have evaluated different rearing strategies of Baryscapus silvestrii (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a parasitoid of Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae), including the use of a factitious host, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), and in the process acquired new knowledge of the parasitoid’s biology. We found that B. silvestrii: (1) parasitizes only puparia and exclusively if they are concealed, (2) is able to parasitize and complete its development on puparia of all ages, (3) prefers to oviposit on the medfly in choice tests, (4) completes development faster if reared on 2–3 day-old puparia, (5) exhibits sex allocation related to host puparium age. This study provides critical information on several biological traits of B. silvestrii, and the new rearing method can be used to establish a parasitoid rearing for augmentative releases.