جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "پرورش انبوه" در نشریات گروه "گیاهپزشکی"

In the present study, the effect of 15 food diets was studied on the biological parameters of black soldier fly, Hermetia illucensi ncluding chicken starter powder (CSP) (A), CSP (90%) + Cannabis seeds (10%) (B), CSP (90%) + flax seeds (10%) (C), chicken waste powder (CWP) (D), CSP (90%) + CWP (10%) (E), CSP (90%) + meat waste powder (10%) (F), CSP (90%) + fish waste powder (10% ) (G), apple waste (H), banana waste (I), bread waste (J), biscuit waste (K), pasta waste (L), tomato leaves (M), fish waste powder (N) and meat waste powder (O). Experiments were carried out under 28 ± 2 ˚C, 60 ± 10 % R.H. and 16:8 L: D conditions. There was a significant difference in the larval developmental time among different treatments. The highest and lowest larval development time was in diet H (21.902 ±0.206 days) and A (15.098 ± 0.126 days), respectively. Because the mortality was extremely high (100%) in treatments K, J, L, N and O none of the larvae could complete their larval stage. The highest pupa development time was seen in diet H (24.922 ± 0.185 days), which had a considerable difference with all treatments while the lowest pupa developmental time was in diet D (22.216 ± 0.256 days). Furthermore, in the case of longevity, the longest adult life span of the female and male was obtained on treatment D (17.632 ±0.191 and 18.438 ± 0.215 days, respectively) which was significantly more than other diets. The highest larval weight was in treatment I (banana waste) (0.080 ±0.001 gr) but in contrast, the lowest pupal weight was observed in this diet (0.036 ± 0.006 gr). Also, the total fecundity of female flies was in treatment B (554.8 ± 49.4 eggs) which was significantly more than others. It seems that the mixed chicken starter diet with Cannabis seeds has a high potential for mass rearing of this insect since it causes positive effects on the biological characteristics, especially on producing more offspring rather than other food diets.

Due to the process of quality control of agricultural products and accurate assessment of pesticide residues in products exported to destination countries, the application of biological control has become essential. In order to use biological control, biological agents must either be purchased from countries with the technology of mass production of natural enemies, or to meet the needs of the country, the technology of mass production of predators and parasitoids must be developed. In the case of mass rearing of predatory mites, which are mostly used to control spider mite, the problem of mass prodaction has been partially resolved and some companies are rearing, but in mass rearing of these predators, destructive effects on non-target natural enemies and mold growth on the rearing media of predatory mites are problematic. The predatory mite, Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot) is one of the most common biological agents for control of two-spotted mite, whitefly and onion thrips in greenhouses, which is widely used in greenhouse crops worldwide. The importance of this study is to facilitate the mass production of this predatory mite. In mass production of this predator, a medium with eggs, nymphal stages, and mature mites of Carpoglyphus lactis Linnaeus was used at 25 ± 1 ° C, 70 ± 5% RH and L: D 16: 8. One of the most important limitation in the production of this predator is infection with some fungi such as Rhizopus spp., Aspergillus spp,and Penicillium spp., which caused the deterioration of the medium and consequently the death of dried fruit mites and predatory mites in the production environment.
To investigate the efficacy of five componds on fungal control, an experiment was achieved with twelve treatments in a completely  randomized design in three replication. From the culture medium (800 g of elm flour, 195 g of wheat bran and 5 g of palm pollen) plus 1g/kg of compounds: tebuconazole, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), Caliban® (potassium bicarbonate), Chitosan®, and carbendazim and in treatments where two compounds were mixed, 0.5 g/kg was used.
The analysis of variance for the treatments revealed significant differences in fungal infection reduction and the population dynamics of the mites. The treatments that showed the highest reduction in fungal infection compared to the control were treatments 1 (tebuconazole®), 3 (Caliban®), and 6 (Trichocara®), with reductions of 66.33%, 63.25%, and 28.62%, respectively.
In terms of the population increase of the prey mite C. lactis, the treatments that exhibited the highest increases were treatments 1 (tebuconazole®), 10 (Chitosan = tebuconazole), and 6 (Trichocara®), with population increases of 80.22%, 65.75%, and 65.15%, respectively.
Regarding the population increase of the predatory mite A. swirskii, the treatments that showed the highest increases were treatments 1 (tebuconazole®) and 6 (Trichocara®), with population increases of 76.33% and 72.66%, respectively, in the first group. In the second group, treatments 3 (Caliban®), 2 (soda), and 10 (Chitosan + tebuconazole) exhibited population increases of 56.33%, 54.66%, and 53.66%, respectively.
These results demonstrate the effectiveness of treatments 1 (tebuconazole®) and 6 (Trichocara®) in reducing fungal infection and promoting the population growth of both prey and predatory mites. Treatments 3 (Caliban®), 10 (Chitosan = tebuconazole), and 2 (soda) also showed positive effects on the population dynamics of the mites.
The predator mite population of A. swirskii is able to complete its growth on growth substrates with prey mite C. lactis. This predator has a high potential in feeding on dry fruit mite C. lactis. Therefore, this bait can be a suitable food for the mass production of A. swirskii mites. The most important problem in rearing large numbers of predatory mites is saprophytic fungi, which cause the destruction of a large number of predatory mites and their prey due to their sudden expansion. In general, according to the results of our study, the use of tebuconazole fungicide at a rate of one per thousand of commercial material and also the biological compound of Trichocara® (Trichoderma virens) with a concentration of one per thousand are recommended to control saprophytic fungi in mass production environment of predatory mite,A. swirskii,. Each of these two compounds has its advantages and disadvantages. In terms of availability, tabuconazole is more readily accessible compared to Trichocara®, which is a biological compound and considered more environmentally safe. However, Trichocara® may darken the color of the culture medium slightly due to the growth of Trichoderma virens in the medium. Considering the economic aspect and cost reduction in mass production of predatory mites, baking soda and Caliban®, which were part of the second group of effective treatments, offer economic value and are much cheaper than other compounds. They can effectively reduce the severity of fungal infections at minimal cost. Among the different compounds tested, the use of tebuconazole fungicide at a rate of one gram per thousand grams of substrate showed the most significant effect in controlling fungi. Although sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate were found to be less effective, they are still viable options due to their non-toxic nature.

Adult insects of many parasitoids use carbohydrates to supply their energy. A high-carbohydrate diet increases the efficiency and other biological properties of parasitoids. Bracon hebetor Say (Hym: Braconidae) is one of the most important biological control factors on farms, orchards, and forests of the country, widely perceived to be found in nature, and can be effective in controlling larvae of leprose winged pests at an acceptable economic cost.

Materials and Methods:

 In this study, the effect of four sugar treatments [10% concentration of fructose, glucose, honey, and a mixture of fructose, glucose, and honey (1:1:1)] and distilled water (as a control for sugar treatments) was examined on the biological properties of B. hebetor male and female adults. B. hebetor was reared on fifth instars of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lep: Pyralidae) in a growth chamber at 26±2 ºC‚ 60±5 %RH‚ and photoperiod of 16:8 (L: D) h. Daily observations and records were made for the development period and survival rate. The data were analyzed based on two-sex life table analysis using TWO SEX-MS Chart.

The present study showed a significant improvement in the biological reproductive and stable population parameters in sugar treatment groups compared with the distilled water treatment. The highest value of adult longevity and life expectancy (ex) of the B. hebetor occurred in fructose treatment. Moreover, the highest net reproduction rate(R0), finite rate of increase(λ), and lowest doubling time (DT) were observed in the mixed sugar treatment. On the other hand, the highest gross reproduction rate (GRR) and mean generation time (T) were found in glucose and fructose treatments. The results of study revealed that intrinsic rate of increase (rm) values for distilled water, fructose, glucose, honey, and mixed sugar were 0.257 ± 0.001, 0.272 ± .0011, 0.267 ± 0.033, 0.264 ± 0.007, and 0.291 ± 0.004 (day-1), respectively.

According to the results of the present study, B. hebetor was positively affected by the sugar treatments, and the suitability of sugar diets was ordered as mixed sugar > fructose > glucose and honey. In conclusion, sugar feeding is recommended for the mass rearing program of B. hebetor because suing them could increase the ability of this parasitoid in pest control. The highest rm value for the mixture of the three sugars indicated the importance of sugar-feeding quality in the mass-rearing program of natural enemies.

Yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, is a wealthy source of proteins and other nutrients. In this study, to improve the breeding of this edible insect, some of its biological parameters were evaluated by feeding on sixteen diets containing different levels of the antibiotic lincomycin (doses of 0, 0.005, 0.01 and 0.02%) and probiotics. Probiotic levels included: 1-probiotic-free (p0), 2- commercial probiotic (pA), 3- probiotic prepared from culture of Lactobacillus bacteria (pB), and 4- probiotic containing commercial yeast (pC). All three probiotics were used at a dose rate of 1% (108 CFU/gr). Treatments were applied to first instar larvae in bran and carrot-based diet. Based on the results, a significant increase was observed in the larval life span in the treatment of pC-dose of 0.01%, with an average of 67.75 ± 1.16 days, compared to the control (64.17 ± 1.04 days). The greatest mean larval weight, 144.17 ± 5.30 mg, was related to the pA-dose of 0.01%, which was significantly different only with pC-dose of 0.01% (117.50 ± 3.05 mg). The pupation percentage at zero dose (84.46 ± 1.77%) was significantly lower than the doses of 0.01 and 0.005% of antibiotics (8 and 9.32%, respectively). Traits of pupal life span, pupal weight, adult weight and adult emergence rate were not affected by diets. Based on the findings, the interaction of antibiotics and probiotics can affect some growth and developmental parameters of the yellow mealworm that can be considered in insect breeding programs.

Dipteran flies are the second most important group of insect parasitoids after hymenopteran parasitoids and they represent about 20% of all insect parasitoids. The Tachinidae comprises approximately 1500 valid genera and more than 8500 described species in the world and is the largest and most important family of dipteran parasitoids. This family is divided into four subfamilies: Exoristinae, Tachininae, Dexiinae, and Phasiinae, of which the Exoristinae is the most species–rich subfamily. Some species of the Tachinidae have been used in classical and augmentative biological control programs, especially in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Despite the high potential of Tachinidae parasitoids as effective biological control agents, their role in pest management programs has been less studied. Not only in Iran, but also in many parts of the world, the tachinid species are not commercially available and only some species of the family have been mass reared. In the last decade, considerable research has been conducted on the identification and classification of Tachinidae in Iran, and more than 270 species of this family have been reported in the country. In the current review, various aspects of the Tachinidae have been investigated including, biology, rearing methods, and examples of application and their potential in biological control programs. This review aims to reveal the role of the tachinid flies in biological control programs and to use them in the integrated management programs of key pests in Iran.

Cold storage is a common technique to prolong the shelf life of the mass-reared natural enemies in insectaries. In this research, one-day and two-day old eggs of the common green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea were stored in refrigerator (5±1°C, and full darkness) for 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21 and 30 days and egg hatching rate, survival and developmental times of larva and pupa as well as longevity and fecundity of adult females were subsequently assessed. Hatching percentage of both one-day and two-day old eggs did not negatively reduce for up to 7 days of cold storage (37.5 and 39.2 hatching percentages, respectively), but a significant reduction was observed in longer storage durations and reached to 0 percent after 30 days. The effect of “age” factor on egg hatching rate was largely dependent on cold storage duration. Therefore, there was no significant difference between hatching rates of one-day old eggs compared with that of two-day old eggs up to 14 days of cold storage, while hatching percentage of two-day old eggs was significantly lower compared with that of one-day old eggs at 21 days cold storage duration. Cold storage of one-day and two-day old eggs had no adverse effect on the larval survival rates up to 14 and 10 days, respectively. But larval developmental time increased significantly even after a short 3-days duration of cold storage.Moreover, cold storage of one-day old eggs for 7 days and two-day old eggs for 3 days significantly reduced female fecundity (37.5 and 66.1 percent, respectively).In conclusion, one-day old eggs can be cold stored for up to 5 days, and cold storing of two-day old eggs is not recommended because of its high subsequent adverse effects on female longevity and fecundity.

The quality of biological control agents has a main role in the success of a biological control program. It is believed that long–term mass rearing in confinement may affect the quality of them. In this study, the life table and parasitism parameters of Trichogramma embryophagum (Hartig) reared on Ephestia kuehniella Zeller eggs was studied for 32 generations (G). The initial population of wasp from the pomegranate orchards of Kuhdasht County (Lorestan Province) and the population of host from an insectary, from Hamadan (Hamadan Province), were prepared and reared at 26°C, RH of 65%. Data on the duration of different developmental stages, survival, fecundity and parasitism in G5, G10, G15, G20, G25, G28, G30 and G32 were determined separately, and were analyzed using age–stage, two–sex life table theory with use of TWOSEX–MSChart and CONSUME–MSChart programs. The adult longevity was not significantly different until the 15th generation, but declined as the generation numbers increased and reached 7.15 days in G30. The highest and lowest fecundities were observed in G5 (72.73 eggs) and G32 (28.64 eggs), respectively. The highest values of net reproductive rate (R0) were seen in G5 to G15. The values of intrinsic rate of increase (r) in G5 to G15 were significantly higher than the other generations. The r value from 0.301 day–1 in G1 reached to 0.229 day–1 in G32. Also the finite rate of parasitism (ω) with increasing the generation numbers declined and from 0.478 host/parasitoid/day in G5 reached to 0.332 host/parasitoid/day in G32. According to the findings of this study, due to the constant rearing conditions and not adding wild individuals with genetic diversity to the population, after the 15th generation, the quality of reared individual’s decreases significantly.

The stem borers, Sesamia spp. (Lepidoptera: Nocuidae) are the most important pest insects on sugarcane and maize in Iran. Biological control using its egg parasitoid wasp, Telenomus busseolae Gahan, is the main recommended controlling method for the pest. On the other hand, mass rearing of T. busseolae is strongly depended on mass rearing of its natural hosts. Current study was conducted to determine probability of mass rearing of Sesamia nonagrioides Lefèbvre using semi-artificial diet under laboratory conditions. The effect of a semi-artificial diet on life table parameters of the mentioned species in comparison with two natural diets, maize and sugarcane was studied under laboratory conditions. Life table construction and related parameters estimation were carried out using two-sex life table analysis procedure. According to the results, there was statistically difference among estimated values of the life table parameters among examined natural and semi-artificial diets. Total developmental period of S. nonagrioides were 53.51, 39.58, and 51.88 days on maize, sugarcane, and semi-artificial diets, respectively and there was no statistically significant difference between maize and semi-artificial diets. Estimated values for intrinsic rate of increase (r), as the most important life table parameter, were 0.0579, 0.09090and 0.0700d-1 on maize, sugarcane, and semi-artificial diet, respectively. Regarding intrinsic rate of increase, by statistically placing semi-artificial diet in the second group between two natural hosts of corn and sugarcane, its proper quality to meet the nutritional needs of the target species was confirmed. Considering all of the results and acceptable values of the life table parameters, examined semi-artificial diet is recommended for mass rearing of S. nonagrioides.

Increasing the volume of the world's major challenges facing resource constraints and rising food and protein prices. Using insects as food and feed for humans, livestock and poultry can be a good solution to this global crisis. Yellow flour cream is one of the most common sources of high-quality protein, used to feed small animals, birds, and fish. In this study, five different in vitro diets (25 1 1 ° C and 60 5 5 relative humidity, 16: 8 h light period (brightness: dark)) were used to grow yellow worm. In this study, wheat bran was considered as control. The results showed that the intrinsic growth rate, as well as the finite rate, increased significantly in the treatment of wheat and chopped wheat compared to the control, and the wheat and chopped wheat diet significantly increased the net and gross population growth rate, respectively, But the diet of cardboard and powdered bread reduced these two parameters significantly compared to the control. Therefore, the diet of cardboard and powdered bread had negative effects on the biological characteristics of yellow worm and wheat and chopped wheat diet had positive effects on the biological properties of a yellow worm. In general, the results of this study showed that the cultivation of yellow worm on different diets has significant effects on the life cycle of yellow flour, and wheat and shredded wheat can be a suitable diet in the future at a much lower cost and with less effort to grow worms. Yellow flour to be used.

Trichogramma evanescens Westwood is one of the most important biological control agents of lepidopteran pests. This parasitoid is widely distributed throughout Iran. Present study was conducted to assay influence of the age of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller egg on the number of parasitized eggs, developmental time, sex ratio, progeny longevity and fecundity of T. evanescens. Individual mated female parasitoids (E. kuehniella in no-choice experiments. Mean number of parasitized eggs were 32.40 ± 0.04, 29.80 ± 0.05, 26.93 ± 0.16, 23.83 ± 0.06 and 18.91 ± 0.04, respectively. The obtained results showed that different egg ages had a significant effect on the developmental time, sex ratio, progeny longevity and fecundity of the parasitoid wasp. Data analysis demonstrated significant decreasing of net reproductive rate (R0), intrinsic rate of increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) with increasing the age of eggs. The highest values for r and λ were 0.390 ± 0.006 day-1 and 1.47 ± 0.008 days, respectively in the eggs with 12h egg. The results of the current study indicated that the egg age is one of the most important factors on life table parameters of T. evanescens and the eggs of E. kuehniella with 12h age are the most suitable eggs for development, reproduction and mass rearing of T. evanescens.

Stethorus gilvifrons is one of the most important monophagus predators of Tetranychus urticae. In this study, demographic parameters of S. gilvifrons were compared between solitary and group (5 pairs of the predator) rearing systems feeding on different developmental stage of T. uricae at 27±1°C temperature, 60±10% RH and a photoperiod of 16:8 h. L:D. In order to start experiments, 120 eggs (< 24 h. old) were selected randomly from the laboratory culture of S. gilvifrons for each treatment. The data were analyzed based on the age-stage, two-sex life table theory. Developmental times of the incubation period, larval, pupal, and total immature stages of S. gilvifrons were 3.92±0.08, 6.52±0.14, 2.98±0.06, 13.59±0.14 days, respectively, in solitary rearing system. In the case of group rearing, developmental time of S. gilvifrons for the mentioned developmental stages were 3.51±0.06, 6.85±0.21, 2.85±0.11, and 13.18±0.21 days, respectively. Moreover, estimated values of intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), mean generation times (T), net reproductive rate (R0) and Gross reproduction rate (GRR) were (0.1219; 0.1455 day-1), (1.1297; 1.1567 day-1), (30.23; 19.88 day-1), (39.92; 18.08 offspring/individual), (265.38; 88.37 females/female/generation), respectively in solitary and group rearing systems. According to the obtained results, demographic parameters of the S. gilvifrons were affected by the number of the individuals in the arena, and population growth was less in the group rearing system, in comparison with solitary rearing condition. These findings can be useful for improving mass rearing of S. gilvifrons and biological control programs of Tetranychids.

Cold storage is a general technique to long-term preservation of wasp parasitoid, Bracon hebetor in insectaries. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of honey solution concentration (5, 20 and 40%) and feeding duration (24, 48 and 72 hours) on the biological and reproductive characteristics of this parasitoidin both cold-stored and not-stored conditions. Adult parasitoids collected immediately after emergence and stored inside a refrigerator (5±1˚C) for 7 days, and mortality, longevity, fecundity and parasitism ability were subsequently assessed. In unstored populations, parasitoid longevity, fecundity and parasitism ability increased by sugar concentration and reached to their peaks in 40% honey solution (17.8±1.4 days, 230.3±12.1 eggs/female and 140.3±8.6 host larvae/ female, respectively). Moreover, sugar concentration and feeding duration significantly affected cold stored parasitoids quality. Adults feeding on high concentration of honey solution (40%), increased significantly their cold tolerance and longevity and fecundity after cold storage. 24-hour feeding on 40% honey solution before cold storage was the best treatment to keep parasitoid quality during cold storage. In this case, female longevity, fecundity and parasitism ability were estimated 22.9±2.1 days, 330.9±46.4 eggs/female and 173.3±18.1 host larvae/female, respectively. In conclusion, it seems that feeding wasps with a 40% honey solution for 24 hours before cold storage could be recommended to increase cold tolerance of adult B. hebetor.

The predatory bug, Nesidiocoris tenuis is an effective biocontrol agent against Tuta absoluta and Trialeurodes vaporariorum in tomato greenhouses. The life table parameters of the predator were compared using Ephestia kuehniella and T. absoluta eggs on tomato leaflets under laboratory conditions. The data analysis was performed using age–stage two-sex life-table theory. The mean premature periods of the predator were 24.15 ± 0.23 and 29.58 ± 0.47 days feeding on E. kuehniella and T. absoluta eggs, respectively. Furthermore, the female and male longevities were 46.58 ± 3.9, 42.64 ± 4.17 and 47.39±0.72, 43.62±0.73 days on the above-mentioned eggs, respectively. Total fecundity of N. tenuis feeding on E. kuehniella and T. absoluta eggs was 79.08 ± 14.91 and 66 ± 3.53 eggs/female, respectively. Eventually, the population growth parameters were estimated: intrinsic rate of increase (r) 0.078 ± 0.009 and 0.084 ± 0.006 day-1, finite rate of increase (λ) 1.082 ± 0.01 and 1.087 ± 0.006 day-1, net reproductive rate (R0) 17.88 ± 5.55 and 22.42 ± 4.46 offspring/individual, gross reproductive rate (GRR) 66.41 ± 17.91 and 56.85 ± 6.62 offspring/individual, and mean generation time (T) 36.10 ± 1.04 and 37.24 ± 0.70 days, on the respective prey. However, there was not any significant difference between predators reared on E. kuehniella and T. absoluta eggs considering demographic parameters. In an applied conclusion, N. tenuis can be mass reared on E. kuehniella eggs and then be released against T. absoluta, especially in greenhouse environments, without any concern over possible decline on its demographic potential.

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Col.: Coccinellidae) is the most important predator of mealybugs in citrus and tea orchards in north of Iran. Cold storage is necessary in order to have a sufficient numbers of this ladybird and its release at desired times. This study was therefore carried out to assess the possibility of storing adult stage of this ladybird under refrigerator conditions (5±1˚C, 60±10% RH and full darkness). Male and female adult ladybirds were stored at low temperature for different durations of 5, 7, 10, 14 and 30 days. After each storage period, the adults’ mortality was recorded in each treatment and was compared with the control. Survived ladybirds were then paired and transferred to the separate Petri dishes and kept in a growth chamber (26±2 °C, 60±5% RH, and 16:8 h L: D) and their fecundity data were recorded daily until the death of ladybirds. Results showed that cold storage significantly decreased their survival, longevity and fecundit. Mortality percent of males and females increased with storage duration from 29.39±5.2 and 25.78±4.8 percent in five days treatment to 100 percent in 30 days treatment, respectively. Female longevity ranged from 99.8±2.2 days in control to 51.5±2.3 days in 14-days treatment. Meanwhile, mean of oviposition in female ladybirds decreased from 4.99±0.06 to 4.51± 0.07 eggs/day. In conclusion, the adult stage of this ladybird was more susceptible to low temperatures than other stages and their long-term cold storage (longer than seven days) is not recommended.

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is a destructive pest of crucifers in different parts of the word. Cotesia vestalis(Hym.: Braconidae) is one of the best agents for application in biological control programs of this pest. In order to examine the quality control of C. vestalis including: parasitism rate, survival rate, offspring sex ratio, adult longevity and progeny fecundity in different mass-rearing conditions, an experiment was conducted with three different treatments. Allexperiments were conductedin the laboratory at 26±2°C, 75±5%RHand 16L:8D hphotoperiod. The treatments including (1) (SLD) a big cage (55×70×100 cm), 12 cabbage plants, 240 pest larvae and 30 female parasitoid (2) (BMD) a smaller cage (50×55×70 cm), 6 cabbage plants, 120 pest larvae and 15 female parasitoid (3) (BMU) a big cage, 12 cabbage plants and a natural population of pest larvae. Results showed that in treatments of BMD and SLD, adult's survival rate of C. vestalis were 62.8±4.2 and 69.8±3.2, adult's longevity were 13.5±0.04 and 13±0.03, progeny fecundity were 200.4±6.2 and 195.9±5.7 and production of pupae were 57.2±0.02 and 56±0.02, respectively. Results show that there was a significant difference between BMD and SLD compared to BMU for mass production of C. vestalis.

Lysiphlebus fabarum Marshall (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) is a common aphidiine parasitoid in central Europe, where it attacks more than 70 species of aphids. Although both unisexual (thelytokous) and bisexual (arrhenotokous) strains of L. fabarum have been reported in Iran, the former appear to be more widely distributed. Aphid control in Iran relies heavily on pesticides in both field and greenhouse settings, whereas any availability of new biological control agents such as L. fabarum would likely aid in reducing pesticide use. One of the most important aspects of implementing a parasitoid as a biological control agent is to determine the best density of parasitoid in the host access, in mass rearing. Parasitoid wasps display a wide array of strategies to dispose of host resources. Superparasitism is parasitism of a host by parasitoids of the same species. In solitary parasitoids, superparasitism almost occurs when hosts are limited or parasitoid density in a patch is high. Acceptance or rejection of a host usually depends on a female parasitoid’s ability to distinguish parasitized and unparasitized hosts. Previously, superparasitism was thought to be a maladaptive strategy, wasteful of both eggs and time, while it is now recognized as adaptive in a number of situations, e.g. under conditions of low host availability, as a mechanism for overwhelming the immune response of hosts.
In the present study, stock colonies of the unisexual and bisexual strains of the parasitoid were established from materials collected from Zanjan province and Khuzestan province fields, respectively. Both populations of the parasitoid were collected from parasitized black bean aphids feeding on the broad bean, Vicia fabae L. A stock colony of black bean aphids was established with material collected from bean fields in Khuzestan province. The synchronous cohorts of both strains of L. fabarum were produced at 21±1 ºC, 50–60% r.h., and L14:D10 photoperiod, and then introduced (one day old) separately into 40 2nd instar nymphs in different densities (1, 5, 10, 15 and 30). The females were removed after 24 hours and parasitized aphids were dissected three days after parasitism to determine the number of wasp larvae in each host. As well as, in another experiment the super parasitized aphids were dissected in three consecutive days (3.5, 4.5 and 5.5) to determine the process of competitors’ elimination.
According to results, in both strains, wasp densities affected on parasitism rates. In the bisexual strain, females parasitized more aphids in 20 and 30 densities treatments than one density treatment, while this rate did not differ significantly between 1, 5, 10 and 15 densities treatments. In the unisexual strain, single females significantly parasitized fewer hosts than other treatments, but there was no difference between other densities treatments. When in each density, percentage parasitism was compared between two strains, in the density of one female, bisexual females parasitized significantly higher than unisexual ones, in contrast to the density of 30, which significantly more larvae were counted in hosts of the unisexual strain than bisexual ones. In other densities, there was no significant difference between two strains. In the second experiment, which the rate of superparasitism was compared in different densities, in bisexual strain, the rate of superparasitism significantly was lower in the density of one female than other treatments. The number of larvae did not differ significantly between other densities treatments. In the unisexual strain, the rate of superparasitism significantly was lower in the density of one female than other treatments. The most rate of superparasitism was observed in 20 and 30 density treatments. When in each density, the rate of superparasitism was compared between both strains, in 1, 5 and 10 densities, bisexual females superparasitism significantly higher than unisexual ones, in contrast to the density of 30 females, which significantly more larvae were counted in hosts of the unisexual strain than the hosts of bisexual ones. In association with the process of competitors’ elimination, bisexual strain larvae eliminated rival larvae over time (in three consecutive days, including days 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5), as the numbers of larvae were decreased in densities of 5, 20 and 30 females. While in unisexual strain, elimination of rival larvae was not observed over time.
Wasp densities affected by parasitism rates and the rate of superparasitism in both strains. In mass rearing, the best density of wasps can be defined as the density that most available hosts are parasitized with a minimum of superparasitism, because superparasitism can depredate the time and eggs of female foragers. The results showed that densities of one and 5 females (for 40 individuals of 2nd instar nymphs) can be suggested as the proper densities of females in bisexual and unisexual strains, respectively. The results of this study can be useful in mass rearing and release of both L. fabarum strains.

Mediterranean flour moth (MFM), Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, is considered as one of the most commonly used host for parasitoids mass rearing including Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hym.: Braconidae) and Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko (Hym.: Trichogrammatidae). In this research, eight different diets with novel ingredients were applied in laboratory conditions (25±1 ° C, 60±5% RH and 14L: 10D) for mass rearing of the MFM. The results showed that the kind of diets had effect on development and reproduction of the MFM. The highest mean number of emerged adults, weight of 10 adults, weight of 100 eggs along with the shortest developmental time (from egg to adult emergence) of MFM, without any significant difference, were related to four diets including A: wheat flour, wheat bran, barley flour, yeast and glycerin, B: wheat flour, wheat bran, barley flour, yeast bread and glycerin (ratios: 41.5: 2: 43.5 : 3: 10%, respectively), C: wheat flour, wheat bran, yeast bread and glycerin (ratios: 82: 3: 10: 5%, respectively), D: wheat flour, corn flour and barley flour (with equal ratios: 33: 33: 33%). In contrast, the mean number and weight of emerged adults were significantly lower in the rest of diets. The longest developmental time (from egg to adult emergence) and highest immature mean mortality were occurred for diet G containing corn flour and diet F containing wheat flour, respectively. Therefore, the diets A, B, C, and D were proposed as the most appropriate media for mass rearing of the MFM, E. kuehniella.