Female parasitoids distinguish between host-infested and intact plants using chemical cues; however, the contribution of intact plants to host searching of parasitoids has not been investigated so far. Here, we tested how host-searching behavior of the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia kariyai (Watanabe) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), was affected by intact maize plants in a wind tunnel. To determine the best color for material to create a plant model, we observed flight responses of female wasps to paper plant models of four different colors. Wasps tended to land more frequently on green models than other models. Therefore, a green paper model was used for subsequent experiments. In a no-choice test, female wasps showed higher landing rates on a paper plant model treated with herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) than on an intact plant. Moreover, in two-choice tests, wasps preferred the plant model with HIPVs over an intact plant with HIPVs. Intact plants seem to deter C. kariyai females. Our findings suggest that information from intact plants also contributes to the host-searching behavior of females in the natural environment.

中文翻译：

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完整植株对寄生蜂寻宿主行为的威慑作用

雌性寄生蜂使用化学线索区分宿主感染的植物和完整的植物；然而，到目前为止，尚未研究完整植物对寄主寻找寄主的贡献。在这里，我们测试了寄生蜂 Cotesia kariyai (Watanabe)（膜翅目：茧蜂科）的宿主搜索行为如何受到风洞中完整玉米植株的影响。为了确定创建植物模型的最佳材料颜色，我们观察了雌性黄蜂对四种不同颜色的纸植物模型的飞行反应。与其他模型相比，黄蜂倾向于更频繁地降落在绿色模型上。因此，后续实验采用绿纸模型。在一项无选择测试中，雌性黄蜂在用草食动物诱导的植物挥发物 (HIPV) 处理的纸植物模型上显示出比在完整植物上更高的着陆率。而且，在两项选择的测试中，与带有 HIPV 的完整植物相比，黄蜂更喜欢带有 HIPV 的植物模型。完整的植物似乎可以阻止 C. kariyai 雌性。我们的研究结果表明，来自完整植物的信息也有助于雌性在自然环境中的宿主搜索行为。