Advances in Crop Science and Technology
Open Access

Research Article

Eggmass Structure and Parasitism of Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni (Lepidoptera: Thaumetopoeidae) in Lebanon

1FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00154 Rome, Italy Jenny Nasr1, 2Department of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, P.O. Box 11-0236, Riad El Solh 1107 2020, Lebanon Efat Abou-Fakhr Hammad2, 3Le Rieufroid, F. 84340, Malaucène, France Guy Demolin3 and 2Department of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, P.O. Box 11-0236, Riad El Solh 1107 2020, Lebanon 4Department of Agriocultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, P.O.Box 110236, jounieh, Lebnaon Nabil Nemer2,4*
Corresponding Author :	Nabil Nemer Department of Agricultural Sciences Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Holy Spirit University of Kaslik P.O.Box 110236, jounieh, Lebnaon E-mail: nabil.nemer@usek.edu.lb
Received January 31, 2013; Accepted August 24, 2013; Published August 27, 2013
Citation: Nasr J, Hammad EAF, Demolin G, Nemer N (2013) Eggmass Structure and Parasitism of Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni (Lepidoptera: Thaumetopoeidae) in Lebanon. Adv Crop Sci Tech 1:110. doi: 10.4172/2329-8863.1000110
Copyright: © 2013 NASR J, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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The pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni, is the most damaging pest of pine trees in Lebanon and other countries of the Mediterranean region. It spreads in Lebanon on Pinus halepensis, P. brutia and P. canariensis. The study assesses the importance of egg parasitoids of the pine processionery moth. The egg masses collected from two locations of different altitudes were placed in the environmental chamber at a constant temperature of 22 ± 2.5°C. Emergence of the parasitoids was recorded daily in the laboratory and the peak of emergence was determined for each parasitoid species. The most widely spread species in Lebanon were identified as Baryscapus servadeii and Ooencyrtus pityocampa. A significant correlation was determined between length of the egg mass and the number of eggs/egg mass for a given row number. The impact of egg parasitoids varied from 10-16%. The followup on parasitoid emergence showed different peak emergences for the two major egg parasitoids, O. pityocampae and B. servadeii and explained the coincidence between egg deposition by T. wilkinsoni and emergence of the adult parasitoids.

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