Diachasmimorpha longicaudata and D. kraussii (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), potential parasitoids of the olive fruit flyPublished online 13 October 2005

Author： Sime Karen Daane Kent Nadel Hannah Funk Clara Messing Russell Andrews John Johnson Marshall Pickett Charles

Publisher： Taylor & Francis Ltd

ISSN： 1360-0478

Source： Biocontrol Science and Technology, Vol.16, Iss.2, 2006-02, pp. : 169-179

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Abstract

The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Tephritidae), is a significant threat to California's olive industry. As part of a classical biological control program started in 2002, the parasitoids Diachasmimorpha kraussii and D. longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were imported to California from laboratory colonies in Hawaii. Studies on their biology and behavior as parasitoids of the olive fruit fly were conducted in quarantine. Both species tend to oviposit into 2nd and young 3rd instars, with the offspring completing development in the flies' puparia. Most eggs are deposited in the first two weeks of adult life. Observed lifetime fecundity was low, possibly as a consequence of the relatively poor quality of the harvested olives used as a host substrate. Both pre-imaginal development and adult longevity were limited at constant temperatures above 30°C, which may indicate that these species will have difficulty establishing in the warmest regions of California.