Honeydew from Trioza erytreae increases performance of Tamarixia dryi
Trioza erytreae (Hemiptera: Triozidae – EPPO A2 List, vector of huanglongbing) is a pest of citrus and was first recorded in the EPPO region in 1994. Tamarixia dryi (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) was utilised as a classical biological control agent against T. erytreae on Reunion Island in the 1970s. The biocontrol agent has recently been released in the Canary Islands and in mainland Spain (Galicia). T. dryi is a synovigenic ectoparasitoid, which lives more than twenty days when offered continuous access to carbohydrate sources under laboratory conditions. Its potential as biological control agent depends on the presence of carbohydrate sources in the field although in citrus orchards, nectar is scarce and honeydew is the main carbohydrate source for parasitoids. The nutritional value of honeydew as a food source for the parasitoid can be variable and depends on the hemipteran species, the host plant, and environmental conditions. The nutritional value of T. erytreae honeydew was evaluated as a suitable food source for T. dryi. The results showed that T. erytreae honeydew enhanced the longevity of T. dryi compared to other diets such as water, sucrose alone, or sucrose and protein. Females which fed on honeydew also oviposited more eggs than those fed on water or sucrose alone. T. dryi which were fed on honeydew parasitized more psyllids than those fed on the other diets. The results contribute to understanding the successful and rapid establishment of T. dryi in areas where it has been released.
Sources
Urbaneja-Bernat P, González-Cabrera J, Hernández-Suárez E, Tena A (2023) Honeydew of HLB vector, Trioza erytreae, increases longevity, egg load and parasitism of its main parasitoid Tamarixia dryi. Biological Control, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2023.105169