Species of the Trichogramma genus are the most studied and used natural enemies worldwide. The quality and performance of the mass-produced control agents can be influenced by some factors such as the choice of the appropriate host for multiplication of the parasitoid and the use of different colors of cards, given that these parasitoids may use physical stimuli such as color to help in locating the host. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of color cards on the parasitism of Trichogramma pretiosum in eggs of Anagasta kuehniella and in eggs of two populations of Plutella xylostella, one reared on broccoli, the other on collard greens. Hosts' eggs were stuck to the different color cards. The selected colors were blue, yellow, green, pink, red and black. For every treatment, 20 replications were observed, and each was composed by 30 eggs of those hosts. Later the cards were exposed to parasitoid females individually in Eppendorf® tubes of 2.0 mL containing one honey droplet for feeding for 24 hours. The number of parasitized eggs and the emergence percentage were evaluated. The strain Tp-8 of T. pretiosum presented better greater parasitism in A. kuehniella eggs. The feeding substratum of P. xylostella (collard greens and broccoli) did not influence the parasitism of T. pretiosum. Thus for mass rearing of T. pretiosum, blue, green and white color cards are most suitable.
Egg parasitoids; mass rearing; biological control