Releases of Trichogramma ostriniae were made into field corn at mid-whorl stage and shortly before tassel stage in central NY. This provided a gradient in extent of leaf area that the wasps would have to search to locate egg masses of Ostrinia nubilalis, and provide an indication of the effect of increasing plant density on their successful dispersal.
Dispersal was rapid and fairly uniform following release at mid-whorl stage. Increasing leaf area appeared to have little effect on the hunting success. This supports the hypothesis that T. ostriniae does not search randomly for hosts, but rather seeks them using cues.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Trichogrammatidae Trichogramma ostriniae
Species 2: Lepidoptera Crambidae Ostrinia nubilalis (European corn borer)
Keywords: leaf area
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA