Parasitoids Of The Greater Wax Moth (Galleria Mellonella L.) In Syria

• Mohamad AL-ALLAN1, Hicham ALRUZ2 and Wajeh KASSIS2
• ¹ General commission for scientific agricultural research (GCASR). B.O. Box.113, Damascus, Syria.
• ² Dept.Plant Protection Faculty of Agriculture, Damascus University., B.O. Box. 30621, Damascus, Syria.

Abstract

Samples from wax frames infested withGalleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) have been collected from Damascus, Damascus rural areas, Qunytera, Daraa and Tartus Governorates, Syria for three years (1999 - 2001). During the survey, a group of parasitoids was recovered.Two parasitoid species; Apanteles galleriae (Hymenoptera: Braconidea).and Dibrachys sp. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) were recorded. A. galleriae is a solitary indo-parasitoid. Its larva excreted from the second or third instar of the host larva to get into a cocoon close or near the host. The parasitoid pupal stage lasted 8.33±1.47 days. The adult female lived 13±1.83 days and the male 18±1.88 days under the lab. conditions (28±2 C, 57.8±2.5 R.H.%). The female measured 2.84±0.18 mm. while the male measured 2.51±0.17 mm. The sex ratio was 1:1.2 male to female. Dibrachys sp. is an exo-parasitoid on the last larval instar of G. mellonella. Adult size measured 3.19±0.9 for female and 2.08±0.16 mm. for male and the number of eggs deposited was 20±7, hatched after two days. The last larval instar, after 4.39±0.49 days, pupated for 5.22±0.53 days, thereafter adults emerged to copulate and reinvade G. mellonella larvae.