PARASITISM OF BACULOVIRUS-INFECTED PLODIA-INTERPUNCTELLA BY VENTURIA-CANESCENS AND SUBSEQUENT VIRUS TRANSMISSION

1. When parasitoids and pathogens compete for the same host there are often severe costs to the parasitoid. Wasps might be expected, then, t o avoid parasitizing pathogen-infected hosts. 2. When the solitary end oparasitoid Venturia canescens was presented with healthy and granulos is virus-infected larvae of the Indian Meal Moth Plodia interpunctella , it did not exhibit any difference in contact or probing behaviour be tween healthy and infected hosts. 3. However, oviposition behaviour wa s influenced by the level of infection, with a significant reduction i n the number of eggs laid in heavily infected hosts. 4. Transmission o f the pathogen did not occur directly through oviposition. However, tr ansmission through contamination of the environment by the parasitoid following oviposition in infected hosts was demonstrated.