July 2011. A scientist at a commercial oil palm plantation in Papua New Guinea wrote saying that the techniques for rearing parasitoids from the eggs of Tettigoniidae (which are the size of rice grains) cumbersome and labour intensive. The scientist would like to know of any techniques (however unspecialised) for mass rearing minute Doiranialeefmansi (Trichogrammatidae) or Leefmansia bicolor (Encyrtidae), or any related (simialr size) parasitoids from Orthoptera eggs or other large insect eggs.

Fungal contamination is also a problem. The scientists are if anyone has ideas on reducing infections.

Suggestions and comments offered were:

a) Ephestia or Corcyra cephalonica eggs could be suitable for the parasitoids. These moths probably are easier to rear. But the questioned ask was whether an Orthopteroid parasitoid will attack Lepidoptera?

b) Trichogramma are reared commercially in Queensland. See Bugs for bugs (www.bugsforbugs.com.au), and contact Dan Papacek [email protected]. It was mentioned in this connection that Trichogramma has been reared successfully on Sitotroga cerealella in the lab.