Abstract

A study on interactions between bagworm Pteroma pendula Joannis (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) populations with parasitoids and weather conditions was carried out at a smallholder oil palm plantation in Hutan Melintang, Perak, Malaysia from January 2011 until December 2011. Samplaing was performed monthly and parasitoids emergence were observed daily. The findings showed that eleven parasitoid species were identified parasitizing the bagworms. The top three parasitoids were Goryphus bunoh (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Eupelmus catoxanthae (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), and Eurytoma sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae). Bagworms and parasitoids populations were not correlated with weather parameters. The parasitoid populations in this study were relatively low. However, parasitoids were dependent on the bagworms and their populations could have be adversely affected by other factors. The parasitism potential in controlling bagworms need to be investigated further in order to establish their use as biocontrol agents.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.