Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is an invasive pest that causes significant losses on fruit crops. The most common control method, insecticide application, has many limitations. In contrast, classical biological control through the introduction of specific co-evolved parasitoids from the host's native area is one of the best strategies to ensure sustainable and durable pest management. In this study, the adaptability and establishment of the introduced larval parasitoid, Ganaspis brasiliensis (Ihering) (G1 lineage), were evaluated in open field conditions in Apulia, Italy. Two other experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions to investigate the effect of host density on parasitoid parasitization and to provide information concerning developmental parameters and parasitization efficacy at different temperatures.
[...]
Ganaspis brasiliensis was absent in sentinel traps and in sampled fruits. Meanwhile, Leptopilina spp. emerged from fresh fruits. Furthermore, host densities did not affect the parasitization performance of Ganaspis brasiliensis or the proportion of emerged wasps. Regarding the effect of temperature, the parasitoid range of activity was [10; 30] °C, with best performances at 24° and extreme inactivity at 5°. Based on these findings, further investigations on the climatic effects on parasitoid activity as well as the biological parameters that influence the parasitoid activity are essential to improve biological control against D. suzukii.
