Kfir, R., Podoler, H., & Rosen, D. 1975 Presence of males increases the area of discovery of a gregarious parasitoid.. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 68(4): 707-709.
Notes: A laboratory ecosystem consisting of Coccus hesperidum L., detached from the host plant, and Microterys flavus (How.), a gregarious parasite, was used to determine the 'area of discovery' of M. flavus. The searching efficiency of the female parasites was found to increase significantly in the presence of males. Two mechanisms apparently contributed to this rather unexpected effect: increased fecundity of the females and their tendency to distribute their offspring among more hosts in the presence of males.