Cold storage of the parasitoid Aenasius bambawalei Hayat

Studies on cold storage and overwintering of Aenasius bamabawalei Hayat were carried out during 2012-13 both in the laboratory and screen house of the Department of Entomology, CCS HAU, Hisar to generate information on effect of cold storage of the parasitoid, A. bambawalei in different stages for different durations on its biological parameters to evaluate the survival of the parasitoid during winter season. Studies on cold storage of the parasitoid were carried out by storing one-day-old Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley mummies (i.e. in pupal stage) and freshly emerged adults at four storage temperatures i.e. 5, 10, 15 and 20°C for 1 to 8 weeks. It was found that the parasitoid A. bambawalei can be stored in pupal stage for 1 week at 5°C and for 2 weeks each at 10 and 15°C, respectively, without any significant effect on the key biological parameters like emergence, longevity, fecundity and F1 sex-ratio. The emergence of the adults occurred within the first week during storage at 20°C, hence, this temperature was not suitable for storing the parasitoid in the pupal stage.