Development and Reproduction of the Predator Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) Reared on Diets of Selected Plant Material and Arthropod Prey

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Abstract
Development, survival, adult longevity, daily ovipositional rate, and fecundity of Orius insidiosus (Say), a predaceous anthocorid bug, were studied by comparing effects on those biological functions of 13 selected diets. Diets included, singly or in combination, two types of plant material (pollen or green beans) and three types of arthropod prey (Heliothis virescens (F.), Sericothrips variabilis (Beach), or Tetranychus urticae Koch). Free water was provided with all diets. The predator successfully completed nymphal development on pollen alone (Acer spp.) with 91.2% of the cohort surviving to the adult stage, but none developed beyond the second instar on green beans alone. Development was significantly faster on diets containing arthropod prey than on diets lacking prey. Adult longevity was greater on a diet of pollen alone or any diet containing H. virescens eggs than on any diet containing S. variabilis. Fecundity was higher on the three diets containing H. virescens eggs. The plant-feeding habits of Orius spp., Nabis spp., and Geocoris spp. are compared.