Mass-rearing of hymenopteran parasitoids of Bemisia whiteflies for support of classical and augmentative biological control programs

The development of efficient mass-rearing systems for Bemisia parasitoids was crucial for the implementation of the classical and augmentative biological control programs for this exotic pest.   Production systems for parasitoids in the genera Eretmocerus and Encarsia were developed. The parasitoid species were reared on Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotype “B”. Rearing systems were based on the use of both hibiscus and eggplant as host plants.  Fifty-eight populations and or species of parasitoids were reared at Mission Biological Control Laboratory (MBCL) from 1992 to 1999.   Laboratory rearing methods were developed for stable year round rearing, which could be used for inoculation of outdoor rearing cages.  Outdoor cages were designed for economical rearing of multiple species for field release.  Together the use of these two systems resulted in the production of several million parasitoids from the 58 species and/or populations of natural enemies collected in the foreign exploration effort.  A third, high-output greenhouse based production system was developed for production of parasitoids for local augmentative release programs.  This system was primarily used for production of Eretmocerus spp. for release in Arizona and California.