Is the parasitization capacity of Trichogramma cordubensis influenced by the age of the females?

We investigated the parasitization capacity of Trichogramma cordubensis Var gas & Cabello (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) females aged 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, 120 h, and 144 h, using Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: P yralidae) eggs as hosts. Wasps were held without hosts during the period of ageing, therefore being increasingly time-limited with respect to parasiti zation as they got older. The total number of parasitized hosts decreased a s the age of the parasitoid increased. However, the proportion of lifetime parasitism carried out on the first day increased with wasp age, up to 120- h old females. These results show that the parasitization capacity of agein g T. cordubensis females changes as they become time-limited. The consequen ces of such changes for biological control programs are discussed.