Reproduction of Orius laevigatus and Orius albidipennis on pollen and Ephestia kuehniella eggs

Reproduction and longevity of the anthocorid predators Orius laevigatus (Fieber) and Orius albidipennis (Reuter) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) were studied under controlled conditions in the laboratory Three different diets were tested: eggs of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, E. kuehniella eggs plus pollen, and pollen only. Small rooted plants of Spanish pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. 'Creta', long red) served as oviposition substrate and moisture source. In all treatments, total fecundity, oviposition period and female longevity of O. laevigatus were greater than that of O. albidipennis. When a diet of E. kuehniella eggs was supplemented with pollen, total fecundity of O. albidipennis was increased by about 40%. Female O. albidipennis fed only pollen laid five times less eggs than those fed flour moth eggs and pollen; also, longevity of females was shorter when only pollen was offered as food. Fecundity and longevity of O. laevigatus were not influenced when supplementing a diet of E. kuehniella eggs with pollen. Females of O. laevigatus receiving only pollen reduced egg production by about 60% but had a similar longevity as those receiving a diet including flour moth eggs. In either species, preoviposition period and egg hatch were not affected by diet. The ability of both anthocorids to use pollen as an alternative or additional food is discussed in relation to their practical use in integrated control programmes

Life tables and predation activity of Orius laevigatus and O. albidipennis at three constant temperatures

Effects of three constant temperatures (15, 25, and 35 degrees C) on development and reproduction of Orius laevigatus (Fieber) and O. albidipennis (Reuter) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) and on their predation activity against the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) were investigated in the laboratory Small rooted plants of Spanish pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. 'Creta', long red) served as oviposition substrate and moisture source. Survival of eggs and nymphs of both species was high at 25 and 35 degrees C. At 15 degrees C, none of the eggs of O. albidipennis hatched and the number of nymphs completing the immature stage was extremely low. Developmental time of nymphs was not significantly different between species at 15 degrees C, but at 25 and 35 degrees C nymphs of O. laevigatus took significantly longer to develop than those of O. albidipennis. Females of O. albidipennis lived longer than those of O. laevigatus at 15 and 35 degrees C, but no differences were observed at 25 degrees C. Fecundity of O. albidipennis was greatly reduced at 15 degrees C, whereas a temperature of 35 degrees C was close to the upper reproduction threshold of O. laevigatus. Fecundity was highest at 25 degrees C for both species. At 15 degrees C, the intrinsic rate of increase (r(m)) reached a minimum for both species. For O. albidipennis, the r(m)-value increased with temperature (0.121 at 25 degrees C and 0.302 at 35 degrees C), whereas for O. laevigatus it peaked at 25 degrees C (0.105) but decreased at 35 degrees C (0.051). At 15 and 25 degrees C, adults of O. laevigatus consumed more F. occidentalis adults during their total lifespan than those of O. albidipennis, but the latter showed a better predation activity at 35 degrees C; in all treatments, however, adults of O. laevigatus consumed more prey per day than did those of O. albidipennis. The performance of both anthocorids at the different temperatures is discussed in relation to their practical use in integrated pest control programmes