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Comparative studies of predation among feral, commercially-purchased, and laboratory-reared predators

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Abstract

The predatory activities of commercially-purchased adult Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville and two laboratory-reared strains of adult Geocoris punctipes (Say) were compared with their feral counterparts. In single prey choice feeding tests, commercially-purchased and feral H. convergens were provided copious amounts of silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring adults or eggs of pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders). Commercially-purchased H. convergens devoured more pink bollworm eggs and at a faster rate than the feral H. convergens. In contrast, feral H. convergens consumed more adult whiteflies and at a faster rate than commercial H. convergens. In multiple feeding choice tests, two distinctly different laboratory-reared strains and feral G. punctipes were provided a cotton leaf disk containing copious amounts of silverleaf whitefly eggs, nymphs, and adults. Virtually no predation was observed on whitefly eggs, but both laboratory strains of G. punctipes fed on more whitefly nymphs and adults than the feral G. punctipes. Moreover, both of the laboratory strains had a significantly faster feeding rate on adult whiteflies and spent significantly less time feeding on plant tissue than the feral strain. These results suggest that the augmentative biological control candidates retained their ability to prey on these selected prey items, even after being displaced from their overwintering site (H. convergens) or being reared in captivity (G. punctipes) for over 40 generations.

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Acknowledgements

I thank Wendy Cummings, Christine Durand, Melissa Erickson, George Green, Scott Machtley, and Erik Stone for technical assistance. I am grateful to Mary Louis Flint, Paul Grundy, Debbie Hagler and Marshall Johnson for reviewing earlier versions of this manuscript. Special thanks go to Steve Naranjo and Becci Burke for supplying the laboratory-reared Geocoris punctipes used in this study.

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  1. Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS, Maricopa, AZ, USA

    James Hagler

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  1. James Hagler
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Correspondence to James Hagler.

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Handling editor: Patrick De Clercq.

This article reports the results of research only. Mention of a proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement or a recommendation for its use by the USDA.

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Hagler, J. Comparative studies of predation among feral, commercially-purchased, and laboratory-reared predators. BioControl 54, 351–361 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-008-9173-x

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