The effects of selected dietary supplements on survival and reproduction of Orius insidiosus (Say) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae)

Diets combining the eggs of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) with corn pollen, green snap bean pods, and adult western flower thrips [Frankliniella occidentalis Pergrande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)] were evaluated for their effects on the predatory anthocorid bug Orius insidiosus (Say). Nymphs fed only corn pollen did not complete development. Fourteen percent of the nymphs fed only green bean pod sections reached the adult stage. Females reared on a diet of bean pod sections did not oviposit. Nymphal survival, adult longevity, and fecundity were greatest for diets containing both E. kuehniella and green bean pods. When diets of bean pod sections and eggs of E. kuehniella were supplemented with pollen, egg production was slightly increased. Adult females provided with thrips were not more fecund than females maintained on a diet of eggs of E. kuehniella. Egg production increased significantly with the number of thrips consumed, demonstrating the importance of adult nutrition.