Insects and other pests can infest warehouses and their products causing severe economic losses to silos, bakeries, food processing industries, mills and food factories. Usually the fight is based on the use of synthetic products but to date, due to the risks associated with them, many biocides have undergone restrictions such as neonicotinoids and methyl bromide. Research for the development of safe, non-toxic and sustainable methods for the control of pests is therefore considered necessary. As in agriculture, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is considered a method of control and prevention against some specific harmful organisms. Among the most common wheat pests are moths, including Ephestia cautella and Plodia interpunctella used in the following study. Their presence can cause damage to machinery and contamination of products which become unsaleable. The presence of these insects can be limited through various chemical, physical and biological techniques including the use of natural antagonists: one of these is Habrobracon hebetor which parasitizes its hosts when they are in the larval stage. In the following study we tried to understand, with a view to mass breeding, the effectiveness of the parasitoid in parasitizing its hosts over time, the optimal number of hosts to expose and if there is a preference between the two host species administered. The difference in the exposure for a period of 24 h to 10 or 20 host larvae was not significant in terms of escaped descendants while a significant difference was demonstrated using 30 host larvae. The study also revealed a preference of females of H. hebetor in laying more eggs on E. cautella larvae and fewer eggs on P. interpunctella larvae. Furthermore, the females of the parasitoid survived on average 37.2 days, from the host larvae an average of 245.6 individuals were born with an overall sex ratio of 0.83 (females / males).
Insetti ed altri parassiti possono infestare i magazzini e i loro prodotti causando gravi perdite economiche a danno di silos, panifici, industrie di trasformazione alimentare, mulini e fabbriche alimentari. Solitamente la lotta si basa sull’utilizzo di prodotti di sintesi ma ad oggi a causa dei rischi legati ad essi, numerosi biocidi hanno subito delle restrizioni come neonicotinoidi e bromuro di metile. La ricerca per lo sviluppo di metodi sicuri, non tossici e sostenibili per il controllo di specie infestanti è da ritenersi quindi necessaria. Come in agricoltura, l’Integrated Pest Management (IPM) è considerato un metodo di controllo e prevenzione contro alcuni specifici organismi nocivi. Tra i più comuni parassiti del grano vi sono le tignole, tra cui Ephestia cautella e Plodia interpunctella utilizzate nel seguente studio. La loro presenza può causare danni ai macchinari e la contaminazione dei prodotti che diventano così invendibili. La presenza di questi insetti può essere limitata attraverso varie tecniche di tipo chimico, fisico e biologico tra cui l’utilizzo di antagonisti naturali: uno di questi è Habrobracon hebetor il quale parassitizza i propri ospiti quando questi si trovano allo stadio larvale. Nel seguente studio si è cercato di comprendere, nell’ottica di allevamento di massa, l’efficacia del parassitoide nel parassitizzare i propri ospiti nel tempo, il numero ottimale di ospiti da esporre e se vi è una preferenza tra le due specie ospite somministrate. La differenza nell’esposizione per un periodo di 24 h a 10 o a 20 larve ospite non è risultata significativa in termini di discendenti sfarfallati mentre una differenza significativa è stata dimostrata utilizzando 30 larve ospite. Dallo studio inoltre è emersa una preferenza delle femmine di H. hebetor nell’ovideporre più uova sulle larve di E. cautella e meno uova sulle larve di P. interpunctella. Inoltre, le femmine del parassitoide sono sopravvissute in media 37,2 giorni, la fecondità media è stata di 245,6 individui e la sex-ratio complessiva è stata dello 0,83 (femmine / maschi).
Messa a punto di tecniche di allevamento di Habrobracon hebetor (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) e indagini sul comportamento riproduttivo
MORAO, SAMUELE
2021/2022
Abstract
Insects and other pests can infest warehouses and their products causing severe economic losses to silos, bakeries, food processing industries, mills and food factories. Usually the fight is based on the use of synthetic products but to date, due to the risks associated with them, many biocides have undergone restrictions such as neonicotinoids and methyl bromide. Research for the development of safe, non-toxic and sustainable methods for the control of pests is therefore considered necessary. As in agriculture, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is considered a method of control and prevention against some specific harmful organisms. Among the most common wheat pests are moths, including Ephestia cautella and Plodia interpunctella used in the following study. Their presence can cause damage to machinery and contamination of products which become unsaleable. The presence of these insects can be limited through various chemical, physical and biological techniques including the use of natural antagonists: one of these is Habrobracon hebetor which parasitizes its hosts when they are in the larval stage. In the following study we tried to understand, with a view to mass breeding, the effectiveness of the parasitoid in parasitizing its hosts over time, the optimal number of hosts to expose and if there is a preference between the two host species administered. The difference in the exposure for a period of 24 h to 10 or 20 host larvae was not significant in terms of escaped descendants while a significant difference was demonstrated using 30 host larvae. The study also revealed a preference of females of H. hebetor in laying more eggs on E. cautella larvae and fewer eggs on P. interpunctella larvae. Furthermore, the females of the parasitoid survived on average 37.2 days, from the host larvae an average of 245.6 individuals were born with an overall sex ratio of 0.83 (females / males).File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/37583