Effects of different (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) cold storage periods on and (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) rearing.

and are egg parasitoids that are considered potential candidates for the control of different pest species through inundative release. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of different cold-storage periods of eggs (host) on the rearing parameters of and . Host eggs were stored at 3 °C, and a factorial experiment involving two parasitoid species, nine host storage periods (1, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 days) and a control, and two host ages (1 and 2 days) was conducted, with 10 replications including 40- eggs each. Adult emergence, development time, longevity, and fecundity were investigated. The parasitoid adult emergence percentage significantly varied with storage duration. These values were lower in than in . The development time of progeny increased in both host age groups except in the 1-day storage period subgroup. However, the development times of the progeny of reared on one-day-old eggs stored for 5, 10, 60, and 75 days were increased, and the development times of the progeny of reared on 2-day-old eggs stored for 45 and 90 days were increased. The longevity of the F1 progeny of was negatively affected by storage time. There was no difference in the longevity of the F1 progeny of compared to that of the control. Additionally, the fecundities of the F1 progeny of and were 54.7 and 47.0 offspring/female, respectively. These results provide useful information for guiding the development of mass rearing methodologies for both parasitoid species.