Adults Feeding on Pollen Diet Influence Biology and Life Table Parameters of the Ectoparasitoid, Habrobracon hebetor

Abstract

Abstract Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hym.: Braconidae) is a polyphagous and gregarious-ectoparasitoid that can parasitize the larvae of some Lepidoptera pest species. This research studied the effect of feeding adult wasps from different pollen diets on the longevity, fecundity rate, and survival rate of H. hebetor. This experiment was conducted in seven pollen diets with four replications. The diets included control, rapeseed, apple, peach, almond, date, and honeybee pollen. Also, honey and vitamin C were used in all diets. The experiments were performed in controlled conditions. According to the results, pollen diets did not significantly affect longevity. Still, fecundity showed a significant increase in honeybee, rapeseed, and date pollen diets compared to the control. Honeybee and rapeseed pollen diets have the highest increase in fecundity and were in the same group. According to the obtained results of analysis of variance, values of the intrinsic rate of increase (rm), grass reproduction rate (GRR), net reproduction rate (R0), and doubling time (DT) in different pollen diets showed a significant difference. The intrinsic rate of increase of H. hebetor was significantly higher in the almonds pollen diet (0.065 ± 0.003 d− 1) compared to others. The maximum value of grass reproduction rate (GRR) and net reproduction rate (R0) related to the date pollen diet (3.38 ± 0.32 and 2.61 ± 0.39 female/female). The minimum population doubling time (DT) was related to the almonds pollen diet (10.58 ± 0.6 d). Therefore, a diet containing pollen plays an important role in the intrinsic rate of increase and other growth parameters of H. hebetor parasitoids. Totally almond, date palm, rapeseed, and honeybee pollen diets were more suitable for mass rearing the parasitoid wasp.