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Honeydew: A food resource or arrestant for the mealybug predatorCryptolaemus montrouzieri?

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Abstract

The study investigated whether honeydew is a source of food or is an arrestant stimulus for adults and 4th instar larvae ofCryptolaemus montrouzieri. Adult predators fed on honeydew but produced few viable eggs. In the presence of honeydew the adult and larvae spent a significantly longer time searching and made more intensive searches on leaf surfaces than on clean parts of the leaf. We concluded that the honeydew was both a food resource and an arrestant.

Résumé

Ce travail a pour but de déterminer si le miellat est une source de nourriture ou un stimulus d'arrêt pour les adultes et les larves de 4° stade deCryptolaemus montrouzieri. Les prédateurs adultes nourris de miellat produisent peu d'œufs viables. L'adulte et la larve de coccinelle font des recherches significativement plus longues et plus intensives sur les surfaces foliaires couvertes de miellat que sur les parties indemnes de miellat. L'étude conclut que le miellat constitue à la fois une source de nourriture et un stimulus d'arrêt.

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Heidari, M., Copland, M.J.W. Honeydew: A food resource or arrestant for the mealybug predatorCryptolaemus montrouzieri? . Entomophaga 38, 63–68 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02373140

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