Does Foraging Experience Affect the Responses of the Predator Dicyphus hesperus Knight to Prey-Induced Volatiles?
2018
Lima-Espindola, J. | Rodríguez-Leyva, E. | Lomeli-Flores, J. R. | Velázquez-González, J. C.
The predatory mirid bug Dicyphus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a native North America species with high potential as biological control agent of the potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli Sulcer (Hemiptera: Triozidae), which is a major solanaceous pest. Olfactory responses of D. hesperus to volatiles from plants infested with the potato psyllid and the effect of foraging experience on search efficacy were studied. Using a Y-tube olfactometer, we found that naïve females had no preference in choice tests between either uninfested tomato plants, or Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs-infested plants, and clean air. Naïve females showed an innate positive response to B. cockerelli-infested plants, but no preference when given a choice between uninfested tomato plants and E. kuehniella eggs-infested plants. However, females with experience of foraging on B. cockerelli-infested plants showed a strong preference for B. cockerelli-infested plants (78% response) in choice tests with uninfested tomato plants and E. kuehniella eggs-infested plants. Implications of learning for augmentative biological control are discussed.
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