The specie, Trichogramma pratissolii Querino & Zucchi (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) was recently collected in avocado plantations, Persea americana Mill. (Lauraceae), and therefore might be an alternative biological control agent for lepidopteran pests in this crop. Thus, this work evaluated the performance of T. pratissolii parasitizing eggs of Anagasta kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and Corcyra cephalonica Stainton (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), under different temperature regimes through fertility life table method. The host A. kuehniella was reared using diet constituted of whole wheat meal, corn meal and yeast, while C. cephalonica was reared with rice meal, yeast and sugar. Eggs of both hosts were offered to T. pratissolii pasted in blue cards. Mean generation time (T), net reproductive rate (Ro), intrinsic rate of population increase (r m) and finite rate of increase (λ) were estimated for parasitoid reared under 15; 21; 24; 27; 30 and 33 ±1ºC, 70±10% relative humidity and 14 hours of photoperiod. The best thermal conditions to T. pratissolii develop parasitizing A. kuehniella and C. cephalonica was 27ºC, and under this temperature eggs of the later host produced the better results.
Biological control; egg parasitoids; Trichogrammatidae
