Eggs of stored-product lepidoptera as hosts forTrichogramma evanescens [Hym.: Trichogrammatidae]

Eggs were collected fromAnagasta kuehniella (Zeller),Ephestia cautella (Walker),E. elutella, (Hubner),E. figulilella (Gregson), andPlodia interpunctella (Hubner) and exposed to adults of the egg parasite,Trichogramma evanescens Westwood, in a free choice experiment. Host eggs were ranked by decreasing percentages of parasitization as follows:E. elutella > E. cautella > E. figulilella > A. kuehniella > P. interpunctella. Differences in percent parasitization were not significant betweenEphestia spp., butA. kuehniella andP. interpunctella were parasitized significantly less often. Average percentage egg hatch after exposure toTrichogramma ranged from 5.0 to 9.3%, except forPlodia where it averaged 33.3%. It appears that inundative releases ofTrichogramma into commodity storages could play an important role in suppression of stored-product moth populations.