Abstract
The host acceptance behavior of Telenomus heliothidis Ashmead in the laboratory was investigated. Host acceptance was broken into seven discreet steps: host encounter, drumming, adoption of drilling posture, probing, drilling, oviposition, and marking. Drilling and oviposition accounted for 81% of the host acceptance time. Females interrupted up to 5 sec after initiation of oviposition redrummed the host and completed host acceptance. Females interrupted after initiation of oviposition deposited an egg and exhibited host marking behavior. The presence of an ovipositing female increased the drumming time of a second female which encountered the same host. The chemical mark of T. heliothidis was disregarded if a female was drumming a host when the mark was deposited by another female.

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