Study on cold storage biological parameters of Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hym.;Braconidae) in vitro

Cotton bollworm and corn stem borers are the most significant pests in the Middle East countries. Habrobracon hebetor is one of the most important parasitoid of some agricultural pests. In this study, we investigate the effect of cold storage on the biological parameters of Habrobrac wasp including percentage parasitism, reproduction, male generation in temperature 5 storage on the within 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 days in laboratory condition on the flour moth 30 days Anagasta kuehnilla (Zeller) that the experiments were conducted at 26ºc, 60 ± 5 % humidity  and 16:8 lightdark ratio. Based on these results, the most percentage parasitism (97.67%), reproduction (28.20 wasps) and adults longevity (7.60 days) were obtained in storage on the within 5 days that show significant difference in comparison with other storages. Also the obtained results show that time saving does not effect on the breeding but mass production of H. hebetor is improved and greatly enhances the performance of this biological agent in pest control.