Comparison of two-sex life table parameters of two populations of parasitoid wasps Venturia canescens (Hym.: Ichneumonidae) of garden and stored products under laboratory conditions

The carob moth Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) is a serious pest on carob, pomegranate, dates, citrus and almond worldwide, and causes considerable losses in pomegranate orchards in Iran. Venturia canescens is one of larval parasitoids of this pest that is known as parasitoid of some stored products too. The present study assessed demographic parameters in two populations of the V. canescens (Hym.: Ichneumonidae) that were collected from pomegranate orchards, and stored products in storages. The each of two populations collected were developed on fifth instar larvae of Ephestia kuehniella as host under laboratory conditions at 25 ± 1°C, 65 ± 5% RH and a photoperiod of 16: 8 h (L: D). Life table data were analyzed using age-stage, two- sex life table procedure. The developmental time of parasitoid wasps of orchards, and stored products populations were 22.37 and 24.73 days and the values of oviposition period were 9.33 and 8.66 days, respectively. The life expectancy values were recorded 15.07 and 18.85 days, respectively. The intrinsic rate of increase (rm) were 0.168 and 0.153( females/female/days), the finite rates of increase (λ) were 1.183 and 1.185 (females/female/days), the net reproductive rates (R0) were 78.67 and 75.93 (females/female) and the mean generation time (T) were 25.97 and 28.23 days, respectively in above mentioned populations. This study suggests that orchard population may had highest performance than stored products population regarding the life table parameters. Complementary research to study biology and behavior of two populations needed.