Influence of female mating and age on reproduction attributes of Psix saccharicola (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), egg parasitoid of pistachio green-stink bugs

Hymenopteran tiny egg parasitoids, as important agents in biological control of pest, attack small host eggs in a dynamic ecosystem. Considering limit adult longevity, access to the host in short-term is essential to gain reproduction success. Longevity and reproduction attributes of egg parasitoid Psix saccharicola (Mani) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) was determined in two physiological status, mated and virgin, depended to age 1-, 9-, 18-, 27- and 36-days old. Mating of females had no distinct effect on longevity, although aging caused a consecutive decline in fecundity of all females. Moreover, mating trigger females reproduction system to produce more progeny in the long-term. Survival of progeny and progeny sex ratio produced by mated females decreased depending to mothers aging. The results revealed that the optimum host access for females is before 27-days old. Therefore, female age is important for biological control efforts such as mass rearing, inundation and also a determination of inoculation rhythms.