Rearing of parasitoid braconid wasp Dinocampus coccinellae in a simplified tritrophic system

Mass-rearing of beneficial arthropods often requires a multitrophic system for the rearing of entomophagous species. The use of artificial diets can facilitate this work by simplifying the number of elements in the system. Rearing Dinocampus coccinellae (Schrank) (Hymenoptera Braconidae), a parasitoid of different ladybird species, requires four elements: plants where the prey is reared, prey (i.e. aphids), hosts that feed on that prey (such as ladybirds) and the said parasitoids. This study attempted to simplify this rearing system by feeding the host, for a part of its life, with an artificial diet. A series of life history parameters was measured in 3 generations of parasitoid rearing. Results show that the host’s food, parasitoid generation, or interaction between these two factors, does not affect the yield of D. coccinellae adults. However, the time of development became longer and the adult lifespan (of second generation) became shorter with artificial food. Overall, the data seems to suggest that it is possible to simplify a multitrophic system without great consequences on the performance of parasitoids, if the nutritional needs of the species are supported.