Impact of on Adults of the Parasitoid and Parasitized Larvae.

Biological control of the Mexican fruit fly, , is mainly carried out by releasing parasitoids, such as , and by applying entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), such as , , or , which can be applied to the soil or dispersed using infective devices. The combined use of two or more biocontrol agents could improve control, but IGP between natural enemies, if it occurs, may have negative effects. We evaluated the effects of EPF on . First, we determined the susceptibility of adults of to strains of EPF ( strain V3-160 and strain MAAP1). We also evaluated the infection of these two fungi on larvae parasitized by . Finally, we determined sub-lethal effects on adults of that emerged from larvae that had been exposed to low concentrations of . Both fungi caused moderate mortality to adults. There were no adverse effects on the longevity of parasitoids that emerged from parasitized larvae exposed to . Based on these results, we argue that has the potential to be used for biocontrol of , with limited risk to adults.