Effects of host quality on female locomotor activity in the parasitic wasp nasonia vitripennis (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)

Includes bibliographical references.Upon encountering a poor quality host, a female parasitoid may need to disperse in order to find a host suitable for oviposition. The effect of host quality on locomotor activity was examined for females of the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) using a natural host, Calliphora vomitoria. In the first experiment, females were exposed to either poor hosts (freeze-killed and stored at room temperature) or good hosts (fresh) hosts for three hours. Then, their activity was recorded for ten minutes. Females given poor quality hosts were more active than those exposed to good quality hosts. In the second experiment, females were either exposed to good hosts, larval stage hosts, or poor hosts (freeze-killed and kept frozen until used) for three hours. The activity level of these females was also recorded for ten minutes. There was no significant difference among females given good hosts, females given larvae and females given freeze-killed-moist hosts.B.S. (Bachelor of Science