ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the procedures we used for mass production and reports on factors that affect the reproductive capacity of D. longicaudata reared from D. dorsalis , D. tryoni from C. capitata , and P. fletcheri from D. cucurbitae in order to achieve an optimum degree of efficiency in mass rearing. It focuses on influence of host age on offspring production and sex-ratio and reproductive activity in relation to change in parasitoid age. Information on reproductive activity in relation to cohort maternal age is useful to determine optimum yield and knowledge of specific cohort age groups where parasitoid brood colonies should be discarded. Host cues can be detected by the parasitoid ovipositor, which is widely reported among endoparasitic Hymenoptera to contain sensory structures important in host selection. The phenomenon of unsuccessful development in older hosts is a function of endocrine interactions and a remarkable synchronization of development between endoparasitoids and their hosts.
