SEARCHING BEHAVIOR OF PEDIOBIUS-FURVUS (HYMENOPTERA, EULOPHIDAE) FOR EOREUMA-LOFTINI (LEPIDOPTERA, PYRALIDAE) IN SUGARCANE

The behavior of searching female Pediobius furvus Gahan and parasitism of Eoreuma loftini (Dyar) pupae are described from laboratory behavio ral and field enclosure studies. P. furvus responded positively to lar val tunnel openings and open moth emergence windows in sugarcane stalk s as cues to host presence (45.7 and 76.8% of females, respectively). Larvae of the stalkborer E. loftini typically construct frass-filled l arval tunnels and closed moth emergence windows, which prevent access by P. furvus under both laboratory and field conditions. When the epid ermal covering of the moth emergence window was removed, parasitism by P. furvus was enhanced from 1.4 to 25.5%.