Identification of the egg parasitoids of green pistachio stink bug, and the effect of diet on adult longevity of the two parasitoids, Ooencyrtus pityocampae (Mercet) and Trissolcus agriope (Kozlov and Lê)

The green bug, Brachynema signatum Jakovlev (Hem.:Pentatomidae) is one of the most important active pentatomids on pistachio trees, that smudge the nuts with feeding on those that are premature. In this research, the parasitoid wasps of the pistachio green stink bug were collected and identified around the city of Rafsanjan using egg traps. Also, the effect of diet on longevity of two egg parasitoids, Ooencyrtus pityocampae (Hym.:Encyrtidae) and Trissolcus agriope (Hym.: Scelionidae) were determined. Treatments were honey, 10% honey-water, distilled water, B. signatum egg and control (without water and food). Five parasitoids, including Trissolcus agriope (Kozlov and Lê), T. dryope (Kozlov and Lê), T. mitsukurii Ashmead and Psix sp. of the Scelonidae and Ooencyrtus pityocampae (Mercet) and O. telenomicida (Vassiliev)of the Encyrtidae were collected and identified. The average longevity of the O. pityocampae in females were 45.15, 38.5, 9.30, 19.81and 8.23 days and in males were 39.15, 37.5, 7.80, 9.09 and 4.19days, respectively. This period for the T. agriope species in females were 30.93, 30.03, 13.25and 7.28 days and in males were 26.40, 22.38, 8.37 and 5.42days, respectively. The results showed that feeding has an effective role on increasing the longevity of the parasitoids and also a significant difference observed between the average longevity of two mentioned parasitoids. The longevity of female O. pityocampae wasps increased to 45.15±1.37 days in the treatment of honey, but water hadnt effect on the longevity of this species. Also the longevity of this species was reduced to 9.09±0.74 days in the presence of host eggs. The average longevity of Trissolcus parasitoid increased to 30.93±0.79 days in treatment with honey. Therefore, kind of diet can have an important role on increment of parasitoid wasp's longevity.