Anastatus
Egg parasitoid of fruitspotting bugs
- Currently under development
|
 |
|
|
Target Pests
|
Fruit spotting bug - Amblypelta nitida
Banana spotting bug -
Amblypelta lutescens lutescens
|
|
|
|
Crops suitable
|
Avocadoes, Macadamia nuts, custrard apples, passionfruit, pawpaws, mangoes....
|
|
|
Description
|
Anastatus are about 3 mm long, black, ant like, and systematically move over foliage in search of hosts.
There are a number of species that parasitise fruitspotting bug eggs. Very little is know at this stage about the abundance and distribution of the various species.
They lay one egg into each bug egg. These eggs take about 23 days to develop into adults inside the bug eggs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anastatus egg parasitoid laying its egg into fruit spotting bug egg
|
How to use
|
What we envisage (assuming we are able to mass rear a good parasitoid) are releases into areas where FSB are breeding - hot spots in the crop, along crop boundaries and alternative hosts nearby and purpose-grown trap crops which are being investigated at Wollongbar Research Station. Local area-wide management would be desirable.
Our thinking is that mass releases of parasitoids in spring will increase their density and therefore increase the amount of egg parasitism in this period when spotting bugs are laying eggs as the weather warms.
Good levels of egg parasitism are likely to reduce their migration into and through crops but at this stage we don't know whether this is achievable.
|
|
|
Above: Experimental work with Anastatus. Here bug egg cards used for observing parasitoid behaviour.
|
| |
We are likely to have to use a combination of management tools (e.g. trap crops, varieties, biological control etc) to pull FSB numbers back enough to tip the balance in favour of a "minimum spray "(e.g. restricting spraying, one spray or spot spraying).
The above approaches need to be refined and tested. Local FSB breeding site maps could be developed with the help of growers and crop consultants.
Egg parasitism is thought to be quite high (70-80%) in Autumn at some locations (Waite 2000). This indicates that egg parasitoids can have a significant impact on FSB populations when given the opportunity.
Natural enemies are typically in low numbers at the start of the growing season coming out of winter due to reduced temperatures and reduced host availability.
|
|
|
The male (left) is smaller than the female
|
|
|
|
|
|
Suppliers
|
Lots more info at BioResources web site
|
|
|
|
