%0 Journal Article
%T Exploring the Viability of Parasitoid Bee Pupae and Whole Insects Storage Under Cold Conditions
%A Jianjun Mao
%A Tingting Zhang
%A Guocai Zhang
%A Mengqing Wang
%A Chenxi Liu
%J Entomology and Applied Science Letters
%@ 2349-2864
%D 2024
%V 11
%N 2
%R 10.51847/vx2FBOnvSJ
%P 21-29
%X One of the important stages of mass breeding of parasitoid bees is storing these bees at low temperatures in insectariums. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of cold on the possibility of keeping whole insects and pupae of parasitoid bees. In this research, 5-day-old pupae and one-day-old bee insects were stored for different periods in refrigerator conditions (absolute darkness and temperature of five degrees Celsius) and the effect of cold on various parameters of reproduction and Bee biology was evaluated. In storage for 30 days or more, one hundred percent of the pupae died, while after one week of storage, nearly 93% of the pupae turned into full-fledged insects, which is different from the control. Nevertheless, storing the pupae in the cold even for one week caused a significant reduction in the fertility and lifespan of the bees removed compared to the control. Storing whole bee insects in the refrigerator hurt their survival according to the duration of storage. The highest losses of female bees were observed after 60 days of storage, while female bees suffered losses in one and two weeks of storage. Unlike pupae, the storage of female bees in the refrigerator did not hurt the lifespan and egg-laying rate of the survivors. According to the results of this research, it is not recommended to store bee pupae in the refrigerator for one week, but female bees can be stored in the refrigerator for one week. The results of this study can be used in the mass breeding and storage of parasitoid bees in insectariums.
%U https://easletters.com/article/exploring-the-viability-of-parasitoid-bee-pupae-and-whole-insects-storage-under-cold-conditions-wpepf49l4onrle2