Searching behaviour of Encarsia formosa as mediated by colour and honeydew

The habitat‐ and host‐searching behaviour of female Encarsia formosa Gahan (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) was assessed using an airflow olfactometer and a filter paper test. Responses to different odour cues, colours, host‐produced honeydew, non‐host honeydew and single carbohydrates were determined. The parasitoid was not attracted to or arrested by odours emanating from clean tobacco leaves, tobacco leaves heavily infested with the host Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and covered with honeydew, or honeydew alone. However, E. formosa females showed a significant response to green light transmitted through a tobacco leaf. The yellow part of the spectrum was partly responsible for this response. Thus, the long‐range orientation is random with respect to the presence of hosts. Filter paper tests showed that the short‐range searching behaviour is influenced by water soluble, non‐volatile contact‐kairomones contained in the host‐produced honeydew. Contact with honeydew excreted by L3/L4 T. vaporariorum resulted in longer searching times than honeydew from adult T. vaporariorum or L3/L4 Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae). No difference was found between the response to honeydew excreted by adult and L3/L4 B. tabaci . The parasitoids' response to honeydew was unaffected by the host plant on which the whiteflies had fed. Non‐host honeydew and single carbohydrates also affected the searching behaviour of E. formosa but to a lower extent than host honeydew. The possible differences in the carbohydrate and amino acid composition of the honeydew excreted by different life‐stages of T. vaporariorum and B. tabaci are discussed.