Successful oviposition by Trichogramma pretiosum through a synthetic membrane

The egg parasitoid, T. pretiosum Riley, laid viable eggs (ca. 8.9 eggs/female in a 4 h period) through a silicone polycarbonate copolymer membrane into a dilute solution of potassium chloride and magnesium sulfate. This rate compares favorably with that obtained in natural host eggs using mass production techniques (8.3 eggs/female/24 h). The membrane is highly elastic and durable. It is easily made with relatively inexpensive, readily available industrial components. Characterization of the membrane with a scanning electron microscope indicated that it is ca. 1 mu m thick and has many holes in the surface that range from 0.15 to 1.65 mu m in diameter.