Mass Rearing and Releasing of the parasitoid Anastatus sp.

Abstract

Anastatus sp. is an egg parasitoid of the longan stink bug, Tessaratoma papillosa. It was reproduced by using eggs of 2 varieties of wild silk worm, Philosomia ricini. A female of wild silk worm lays 238-327 eggs with the egg stage of the Chinese and eri varieties of 10-13 days and 10-11 days respectively. One generation of both varieties takes 39-50 days 88 percent egg of the Chinese variety is oviposited in the first 4 days, in comparison to 77 percent of those of the eri variety. The second to fifth instars of the two varieties are distinctly different. 2,850,000 wild silk worm eggs were collected for the laboratory reproduction of Anastatus sp. Producing 1,747,050 adults parasitoids which later were released at Lumphum and Chiang Mai orchard. At the two locations the eggs of T. papillosa were subsequently observed to be parasitized at percentages of 53.6 and 38.2 respectively.