Journal of Insect Behavior

, Volume 6, Issue 3, pp 323–331 | Cite as

Discrimination of previously searched, host-free sites byMicroplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

  • W. Sheehan
  • F. L. Wäckers
  • W. J. Lewis
Article
Accepted:

Abstract

The ability of free- ranging parasitoids to discriminate between previously visited and unvisited sites containing host kairomone (caterpillar frass) but not hosts was tested. Females of Microplitis croceipes,a host specialist and plant generalist larval parasitoid of Helicoverpa (Heliothis) zea,were allowed to fly freely in a simulated plant patch in a flight chamber. Wasps spent less time searching frass sites previously searched by themselves or by conspecifics than unsearched frass sites. In addition to chemical marking, spatial memory of visual cues was implicated as a mechanism for discriminating against self-visited, host-free sites.

Key words

parasitoid frass site discrimination foraging olfactory visual Microplitis croceipes Helicoverpa zea 
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Copyright information

© Plenum Publishing Corporation 1993

Authors and Affiliations

  • W. Sheehan
    • 1
  • F. L. Wäckers
    • 1
    • 2
  • W. J. Lewis
    • 1
  1. 1.U.S. Department of AgricultureInsect Biology and Population Management Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research ServiceTifton
  2. 2.Department of EntomologyWageningen Agricultural UniversityEH WageningenThe Netherlands

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