Susceptibility of adult Microplitis croceipes (Hymenoptera:Braconidae) to insecticides used for Heliothis spp. (Lepidoptera:Noctuidae) control

Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) is a larval parasite of both Heliothis zea (Boddie) and H. virescens (F.) (the bollworm complex). In Arkansas, M. croceipes is the predominant parasite of Heliothis spp. particularly in late spring and early summer cotton fields. In Integrated Cotton Pest Management systems the process of insecticide selection often does not consider the impact to beneficial insects. This is partly due to the lack of information about the susceptibility of specific predators and parasites to various insecticides. This study was undertaken to provide information on the susceptibility of M. croceipes to insecticide formulations used in cotton pest management.