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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #127301
Title: COMPARISON OF PREY-DERIVED AND NON-INSECT SUPPLEMENTS ON EGG-LAYING OF ORIUS INSIDIOSUS MAINTAINED ON ARTIFICIAL DIET AS ADULTS

Author
item Ferkovich, Stephen
item Shapiro, Jeffrey

Submitted to: Biological Control
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/9/2004
Publication Date: 7/1/2004
Citation: Ferkovich, S.M., Shapiro, J.P. 2004. Comparison of prey-derived and non-insect supplements on egg-laying of Orius insidiosus maintained on artificial diet as adults. Biological Control. 31:57-64.

Interpretive Summary: The insidiosus flower bug, Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), is a polyphagous feeder of thrips, aphids, mites, whiteflies and insect eggs and small larvae and is produced on natural hosts by over 33 commercial producers of beneficials. Scientists at the Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, ARS, Gainesville, FL are developing an artificial diet for rearing the predator, but improvements still are needed as the fecundity of females is inferior compared to bugs reared on natural prey. Based on observations of feeding, they found that the original diet contained more protein than the insects ingested from natural prey but that it was not the quality needed for optimal egg production. Only proteins derived from eggs of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella and to a lesser degree three commercial sources of animal-derived proteins made a significant improvement in fecundity. Further modifications of the diet will be necessary to bring egg productio up to that of prey-reared females in order to make the diet economically feasible to use.

Technical Abstract: The fecundity of the insidious flower bug, Orius insidiosus (Say) was poor when reared on an artificial diet (control Diet) previously reported and composed of brewers yeast, soy protein hydrolysate and chicken yolk. Consequently, we supplemented the diet with egg homogenates, and proteins and lipids extracted from eggs of Plodia interpunctella. The diet also was supplemented with three fatty acids identified to be predominant in Plodia eggs (palmitic, linoleic, and oleic acid), bovine serum albumin (BSA), chicken liver, beef liver, and chicken egg white albumin. To obtain soluble egg proteins, egg homogenates were applied to desalting columns and protein fractions freeze dried. Lipids were extracted from eggs using a modified method of Folch et al. (1957) and egg fatty acids were analyzed by gas chromatography. Diets were compared against Plodia eggs (standard) and control Diet on the basis of the average total number of eggs a female oviposited during her lifetime. Only proteins derived from eggs of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella and three commercial sources of animal-derived proteins made significant improvements in fecundity. Plodia egg proteins stimulated egg production at lower concentrations than did the commercial sources of protein, indicating that protein quality rather than quantity was important. Further modifications of the diet will be necessary to bring egg production up to that of prey-reared females in order to make the diet economically feasible to use.