INFLUENCE OF POSITION AND SIZE OF HOST SHELTER ON HOST-SEARCHING BY ITOPLECTIS CONQUISITOR (HYMENOPTERA: ICHNEUMONIDAE)

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Abstract
Females of I. conquisitor could not be conditioned to attack horizontal tubes instead of vertical tubes of the same size and probably cannot distinguish between them. I. conquisitor could be conditioned to attack tubes of particular lengths or diameters and tubes mounted on pins rather than on plastic forms. These results are interpreted as showing that the parasites can recognize these differences in the host shelter and that these characteristics could influence host selection. It is suggested that if a polyphagous parasite to be introduced against a particular pest is first conditioned to that host in pieces of its host plant, the success of the parasite in finding that host and hence its chances of establishment would be increased.