Olfactory orientation of the parasitoid wasp Lysiphlebus fabarum to its host food plants

Lysiphlebus fabarum (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae) is a generalist parasitic wasp species which can oviposit in several aphid species, including the bean aphid, Aphis craccivora (Homoptera Aphidinae), and the soybean aphid, A. glycines. The response of female L. fabarum and one of its host aphid species, A. glycines, to odors of undamaged host food plant (UD), mechanically damaged host food plant (MD), aphid-damaged plant (AD super(+), with aphid on, and AD super( similar to ), aphid washed off), and host aphid alone were studied in a wind tunnel. The positive orientation frequency of L. fabarum, which emerged from Aphis craccivora, to AD super(+) and AD super( similar to ) was significantly greater than to the UD, MD. Similarity, L. fabarum that emerged from A. glycines significantly flew more often to AD super(+) than to UD and aphid alone. And there was no significant difference among the positive response frequency of L. fabarum to UD, MD, and aphid alone. All these suggested that herbivore feeding induced the attraction of the damaged plant to natural enemy of herbivore. It is also found that the condition of soybean seedling, being damaged or undamaged, did not have direct impact on host plant location of aphid.