Field dispersal and host location of Trichogramma brassicae is influenced by wing size but not wing shape

Abstract

This study evaluates if wing size and wing shape could be used to predict the dispersal and host location of mass reared Trichogramma egg parasitoids in the field. Commercially produced Trichogramma brassicae wasps were released in a corn field and recaptured on Ostrinia nubilalis egg cards. The effects of distance from the release point and day since release on wing size and shape of recaptured wasps were evaluated. Wing size of wasps had an impact on recapture probability, but this association was complicated by the fact that wing size effects changed with distance from the release point and time since release. Wing size increased with recapture distance from the release point on both reca..