Effects of endosymbioticWolbachiaon the diapause inTrichogrammahosts and effects of the diapause onWolbachia

AbstractUsed as an agent in biological control,Trichogrammawhich has been infected by endosymbiotic bacteria belonging to the genusWolbachiaand inducing the thelytokous mode of reproduction, increases rearing productivity in commercial insectaries. These insectaries can now make use ofTrichogrammadiapause to spread out and optimise their production. We therefore studied the effect ofWolbachiaon the diapause inTrichogramma evanescens. The symbionts show no beneficial or harmful effect on the proportion of emergence in diapausing individuals or on their fecundity. Therefore, infected strains can easily be used in crop protection. On the other hand, low temperatures exert a slightly negative effect onWolbachia,as detected from the proportion of females in the offspring of symbiotic diapausing females.