Effect of aggregation pheromone trap of Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae) on the distribution and composition of its egg parasitoids

The aggregation pheromone of Riptortus pedestris (F.) (Hemiptera: Alydidae) is known to attract its egg parasitoids Ooencyrtus nezarae Ishii (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Gryon japonicum (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Distribution and composition of these egg parasitoids were compared in a soybean field in the presence and absence of aggregation pheromone-baited traps for two consecutive years. Three traps were installed on the edge of a soybean field, first without and then with aggregation pheromone in a before-after design, and changes in parasitism were assessed on nonviable host eggs released at distances of 9, 18, 27, and 36 m from the trap. A significant interactive effect of pheromone installation and distance was found in egg parasitism by both parasitoids. Parasitism on eggs recovered from 9 m away was up to 2.2 and 3.2 times higher in presence of pheromone than without pheromone for O. nezarae and G. japonicum, respectively. Parasitism by O. nezarae was always higher than that by G. japonicum, but their relative abundance, clutch size, and sex ratio were not affected by pheromone installation, irrespective of distance from the trap. In conclusion, aggregation pheromone increases abundance of parasitoids up to 18 m from trap installation points and does not affect the relative abundance of parasitoid species.