INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE EGG PARASITE TRICHOGRAMMA PRETIOSUM (HYMENOPTERA: TRICHOGRAMMATIDAE) AND A PREDATOR, XYLOCORIS FLAVIPES, (HEMIPTERA: ANTHOCORIDAE) OF THE ALMOND MOTH, CADRA CAUTELLA, (LEPIDOPTERA: PYRALIDAE)

Abstract

Tests were conducted to determine interspecific interactions between an egg parasite, Trichogramma pretiosum (Riley), and a general predator, Xylocoris flavipes (Reuter), of the almond moth, Cadra cautella (Walker). There was no significant difference in amount of predation by X. flavipes on 1 - day - old eggs of the almond moth that were parasitized by T. pretiosum and eggs that were not parasitized. However, there was significantly less predation (P < 0.01) on 5 - day - old parasitized eggs (53.0%) than on 5 - day - old nonparasitized eggs (83.9%). In a choice test that presented almond moth eggs and X. flavipes eggs to T. pretiosum adults, few X. flavipes eggs (14.2%) were parasitized as compared to 91.1% of the almond moth. These tests showed that there is a direct bi - directional interaction between these natural enemies of the almond moth, but that the magnitude of this interaction is small and it normally would not jeopardize their combined use in an integrated biological control program.