Temperature and relative humidity affect the emergence and longevity of Anagyrus dactylopii Howard (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)

Citrus is one of the most economically important crops in Florida and is attacked by many invasive species, including hibiscus mealybug (Nipaecoccus viridis Newstead, Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Hibiscus mealybug has caused severe damage to citrus and has proved challenging to control by chemical methods. Biological control is a promising strategy for managing this species. Anagyrus dactylopii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is native to Asia but was recently documented as a parasitoid of hibiscus mealybug in Florida. Its discovery has led to interest in developing A. dactylopii as an augmentative biological control agent of the hibiscus mealybug. However, we have little information on ideal rearing conditions for A. dactylopii. To address this deficit, this study seeks to explore environmental factors affecting A. dactylopiii development. Naïve 1-7-day-old mated female A. dactylopii were placed in ventilated deli cups containing 25–35 third-instar N. viridis for 24 hours for oviposition. The cups were then moved to experimental treatment conditions: three different temperatures (24, 28, and 32℃) and three different humidity levels (50, 70, and 90%), with five replications per treatment. Cups were checked daily for emergence, and parasitoids that emerged from the cups were moved to vials to monitor their longevity. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses of emergence rates and longevity will be discussed in the context of ongoing biological control efforts.