Predatory Capacity and Reproduction of (Hemiptera: Miridae) Adults Exposed to Low-Temperature Storage and Fitness of the F1 Generation.

Low-temperature storage (LTS) is a way to adjust natural enemy development to meet field release needs and to protect natural enemies from the odds of long-distance transportation. The mirid bug Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae) is an important predator of planthoppers and leafhoppers in rice fields. In this study, the LTS effects were measured on the predatory capacity and reproduction of the mirid adults (provided with 20% honey solution and stored at 13 °C for 12 days), and the fitness of the F1 generation of these adults. Higher predation of the eggs of the brown planthopper (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) was observed in the post-storage females than in the control females. The functional responses of adults, either exposed to LTS or not, to planthopper eggs fitted well with Holling type II functional responses. Longevity was not affected by LTS, whereas the number of offspring nymphs was 55.6% lower in the post-storage females than in the control females. The fitness of the offspring generation was not affected by the LTS of parental adults. The findings are discussed with their relevance to biological control.