Natural Enemies of Sirex cyaneus, Fabr., in England and their Life-history

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Abstract
Rhyssa persuasoria and Ibalia leucospoides, both parasitic on Sirex cyaneus, have been studied at Oxford.Rhyssa lays its eggs in the burrow of and near to the almost or quite full-fed host larva or the pupa, by piercing the solid wood with itsovipositor. Feeding is entirely ectoparasitic and takes only a few weeks, during which the host larva may burrow a little further. The winter is passed by Rhyssa as a resting larva. Pupation takes place in the spring, and the whole life-cycle normally occupies one year.Ibalia oviposits in the young larva just before ormore rarely just after hatching, utilising the oviposition-bores of the Sirex for this purpose. The first-stage larva is elongate, with sickle-shaped mandibles, and larval feeding seems wholly endoparasitic. Sirex larvae parasitised by Ibalia confine their boring largely to the outer portions of the trunk, and usually make their final cell just under and approximately parallel to the surface. The life-cycle of Ibalia requires at least two years.Owing to the very different instars which they attack, there seems no risk of superparasitism of Ibalia by Rhyssa or vice versa, and it is therefore suggested that both species be introduced into New Zealand as a measure against Sirex juvencus, which is there very destructive to plantations of Pinus radiata.

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