Lopez, V.F. 1997 Lab rearing and mass production of the hibiscus mealybug Maconellicoccus hirsutus and the parasitic wasp Anagyrus kamali at the Caribbean and Latin American Station of IIBC in Trinidad.. Proceedings of the 1st Seminar on the Hibiscus Mealybug. Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources, Research Division. Centeno (Trinidad and Tobago)

Notes: [Conference: 1. Seminar on the Hibiscus Mealybug. Farmers' Training Centre, Centeno (Trinidad and Tobago). 12 Apr 1996.] An update on activities at IIBC-CLAS related to the hibiscus mealybug (HMB), Maconellicoccus hirsutus and the parasitic wasp Anagyrus kamali (AK) is provided. Under a collaborative project between IIBC and MALMR, cultures of HMB were initiated on pumpkins and potatoes during December 1995 and the dossier on AK submitted. In February 1996, the first AK shipment containing 1500 females was hand-carried into Trinidad by a mealybug specialist from IIBC-UK who trained CLAS and MALMR staff in lab. rearing. There was poor emergence of AK from HMB reared on pumpkins while buildup under sleeve cages in the field on hibiscus plants was very good. This confirmed that hibiscus plants were more suitable for rearing and mass production activities. In March, a second shipment containing 1200 AK females was received and used to rejuvenate lab. cultures and for field release under sleeve cages. Methods developed at IIBC for rearing of both HMB and AK under lab. conditions are discussed.