Preliminary study on the bioecology of two oothecal parasitoids for potential biological control of Periplaneta Americana (Linnaeus) (Blattodea:Blattidae) in the Philippines
2018
Almarinez, B.J.M.
The American cockroach Periplaneta Americana (L.), is a cosmopolitan pest. Management for the pest cockroaches usually includes swatting, chemical habitations, and sanitation. Biological control is rare, especially in urban habitations. While non-biological methods are effective against adults and nymphs, oothecae containing up to 20 eggs may remain unaffected. Among natural enemies of P. americana are parasitic wasps, two of which parasite oothecae, namely: the ensign wasp, Evania appendigaster (L.), and the eulophid Aprostocetus hagenowii (Ratzeburg). Controlled rearing and breeding experiments on wild-captured and laboratory-reared adult E. appendigaster and emergent A. hagenowii from wild-collected and laboratory-kept parasitized oothecae were conducted. Parasitic behaviour, development (oviposition to emergence), number of offspring, and percent emergence in a parasitized ootheca, and adult longevity were observed. E. appendeigaster is solidarity, with a single wasp emerging from one parasitized ootheca after 46.33 days. Adults survived for 12.33 days in captivity. In contrast, A. hagenowii is gregarious, with 25-176 wasps emerging from a single oothecaafter 33.92 days post-oviposition. Adults lived for 21.25 days in captivity. While percent emergence for both species were so far below 50%, all oothecae parasitized by either parasitiod within 1-2weeks after oothecal deposition did not hatch. Both species can reared in the laboratory at a range of 25-28 deg C, 60-80% relative humidity, and 12-12 photoperiod. These preliminary findings not only provided insights into the potential of these two endoparasitoids for biocontrol of P. americana in the Philippines, but also suggest their mass-rearability.
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