Aphidius ervi is the principal parasitoid of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, in peas in the inland Pacific Northwest. In the field, percent parasitism of pea aphid by A. ervi tends to be higher on peas with a reduced waxy bloom than on peas with standard crystalline waxes. In the laboratory in choice and no-choice experiments, individual A. ervi females left more progeny and achieved higher rates of parasitism on each of two reduced wax pea genotypes, expressing the effects of different mutations, than on their respective normal wax isolines. Observations indicate that the wasps are less likely to fall from the reduced wax plants while foraging.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Braconidae Aphidius ervi
Species 2: Homoptera Aphididae Acyrthosiphon pisum (pea aphid)
Keywords: parasitism, surface waxes
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