The ability of parasitoids in locating hosts determines their success in suppressing the pest population. Chemical stimuli emitted from food products and hosts provoke the searching behavior of parasitoids. Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) is a generalist idiobiont ectoparasitoid of coleopteran pests in stored products. In the current study, the behavioral responses of A. calandrae females were evaluated regarding host food and different life stages of the host, Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), using a Y-tube olfactometer. The parasitoid was offered uninfested chickpea kernels, damaged chickpea without larvae of C. maculatus, damaged chickpea with preferred stage (4th instar) larvae of C. maculatus, uninfested chickpea + C. maculatus adults, and eggs of C. maculatus on chickpea. In another test, the preference of A. calandrae for either damaged chickpea without larva of C. maculatus or damaged chickpea with nonpreferred stage (1st instar) larvae of C. maculatus was studied. The results showed that the females did not prefer uninfested chickpea kernels and adults of C. maculatus. However, they were attracted to damaged kernels with or without larvae, and the kernels containing eggs of C. maculatus. When the female parasitoids had a choice between damaged chickpea without larva of C. maculatus and damaged chickpea with 1st instar larva, they did not prefer one over the other. The results of this investigation can be helpful for using A. calandrae as a biological control agent in stored products.

An evaluation of the effect of four host plants on biological parameters of Maconellicoccus hirsutus and efficacy of Anagyrus kamali was conducted in the laboratory. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Hibiscus sabdariffa produced M. hirsutus with life cycles which were 1–2 days shorter than those of M. hirsutus reared on Solanum tuberosum, and Cucurbita pepo L. Egg to adult M. hirsutus survival was lowest in C. pepo (8.8%) and highest for H. sabdariffa (21.8%). C. pepo, H. rosa-sinensis and H. sabdariffa produced a more female biased M. hirsutus sex ratio from single ovisacs, than S. tuberosum. Although adult M. hirsutus females exhibited variation in size and longevity on the host plants tested, total fecundity was not significantly different. Life cycle of both sexes and offspring sex ratio of A. kamali emerging from M. hirsutus cultured on the four host plants were statistically similar. M. hirsutus infested H. rosa-sinensis and H. sabdariffa produced A. kamali with significantly higher fecundity (post emergence adult counts) and lower longevity compared to the other host plants. Females with largest femur (Mean length = 0.2950 ± 0.0053 mm) were produced by M. hirsutus infested H. rosa-sinensis. A. kamali efficacy measured by percent parasitization and percent adult eclosion was statistically similar for all M. hirsutus infested host plants tested.