Abstract
The predation rate of fifth instars and female adults of Orius laevigatus (Fieber) fed honeybee pollen, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller eggs or an egg yolk based artificial diet on second instars of the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) was examined in the laboratory. Predation rate of both fifth instars and female adults was not influenced by their diet. Despite a lower body weight, O. laevigatus reared on artificial diet or pollen killed as many prey as their peers reared on E. kuehniella eggs, suggesting that body weight is not a reliable predictor of predation rate. The use of non-prey foods for O. laevigatus for mass production or as a supplementary food to sustain its populations in the field when prey are scarce is discussed.
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Acknowledgements
We thank A. Janssen and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on this article. This study was supported by project no. B/06836/01 from BOF-UGent.
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Handling Editor: Arne Janssen.
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Bonte, M., De Clercq, P. Influence of diet on the predation rate of Orius laevigatus on Frankliniella occidentalis . BioControl 55, 625–629 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-010-9275-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-010-9275-0