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<p>Adult parasitoids require carbohydrate-rich foods to support longevity and nitrogenous compounds for sustained egg production. In many agroecosystems, honeydew, a sugar-rich excretion from phloem-feeding insects, serves as the most abundant carbohydrate source, especially where nectar is scarce. Although the benefits of honeydew to parasitoid fitness are well documented, it remains unclear how environmental exposure affects its nutritional quality. Here, we examined whether honeydew loses its nutritional value for parasitoids when it is exposed to the greenhouse environment during long periods of time. For this aim, we used the parasitoid <i>Anagyrus vladimiri</i>, a synovigenic parasitoid widely used in the biological control of <i>Planococcus citri,</i> an abundant phloem-feeding mealybug in citrus. We collected honeydew from <i>P. citri</i> and exposed it to greenhouse conditions for zero (fresh), seven, or 14&#xa0;days. We then evaluated parasitoid survival and egg load of parasitoid wasps fed on the different honeydews as well as the feeding behaviour and preference across honeydews. Survival was highest on honeydew exposed to the environment for 14&#xa0;days, while fresh honeydew supported the greatest egg load, suggesting that environmental exposure differentially affects the nutrients present in honeydew. Parasitoids significantly preferred honeydew exposed to the environment for 14&#xa0;days over honeydew exposed for seven days. These results indicate that even after 14&#xa0;days of exposure to the environment, honeydew remains as a good food source to maintain parasitoid longevity. Moreover, time of environmental exposure alters honeydew’s nutritional properties in ways that affect key parasitoid traits. These findings provide novel insights into how environmental conditions alter honeydew quality over time and indirectly influence biological control effectiveness.</p>

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Environmental exposure alters the nutritional quality of honeydew for a parasitoid

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月10日

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  • Maite Fernández de Bobadilla,
  • Anabel Millán-Leiva,
  • Emanuele Porcu,
  • Francesco Giovanni Filippello,
  • Alejandro Tena

摘要

Adult parasitoids require carbohydrate-rich foods to support longevity and nitrogenous compounds for sustained egg production. In many agroecosystems, honeydew, a sugar-rich excretion from phloem-feeding insects, serves as the most abundant carbohydrate source, especially where nectar is scarce. Although the benefits of honeydew to parasitoid fitness are well documented, it remains unclear how environmental exposure affects its nutritional quality. Here, we examined whether honeydew loses its nutritional value for parasitoids when it is exposed to the greenhouse environment during long periods of time. For this aim, we used the parasitoid Anagyrus vladimiri, a synovigenic parasitoid widely used in the biological control of Planococcus citri, an abundant phloem-feeding mealybug in citrus. We collected honeydew from P. citri and exposed it to greenhouse conditions for zero (fresh), seven, or 14 days. We then evaluated parasitoid survival and egg load of parasitoid wasps fed on the different honeydews as well as the feeding behaviour and preference across honeydews. Survival was highest on honeydew exposed to the environment for 14 days, while fresh honeydew supported the greatest egg load, suggesting that environmental exposure differentially affects the nutrients present in honeydew. Parasitoids significantly preferred honeydew exposed to the environment for 14 days over honeydew exposed for seven days. These results indicate that even after 14 days of exposure to the environment, honeydew remains as a good food source to maintain parasitoid longevity. Moreover, time of environmental exposure alters honeydew’s nutritional properties in ways that affect key parasitoid traits. These findings provide novel insights into how environmental conditions alter honeydew quality over time and indirectly influence biological control effectiveness.