Survival of adult Tamarixia radiata subjected to different short-term storage methods prior to field releases for biological control of Asian citrus psyllid

Tamarixia radiata (Waterson)  (Hymenoptera:  Eulophidae) is a solitary ectoparasitoid of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera:  Psyllidae).  The psyllid is an important pest of citrus because it vectors pathogens responsible for a serious disease of citrus known as huanglongbing (aka citrus greening or yellow shoot disease).  T. radiata is regarded as one of the psyllid’s most important natural enemies and is thus being mass-reared and released by a number of laboratories in the USA.  However, sometimes it may not be possible to immediately release adults, in which case it would be advantageous to know how best to store them until they can be released.  We will report on different procedures for storing adults for 1 to 2 weeks including different temperatures, light conditions and food regimes.