Abstract

Two species of parasitoid wasps, Brachymeria podagrica (Fabricius, 1787) and Dirhinus himalayanus Westwood, 1836 of the Chalcididae family, hatched from pupae maggots which were deposited by sarcophagid flies on a camel meat bait. While B. podagrica infects maggots, D. himalayanus lay eggs into fly pupae. The preimaginal development of both wasp species under laboratory conditions at 26 to 28 oC lasted 25-28 and 24-33d, respectively. The yield of wasps in four different samples varied between 31 and 83% and the development of Sarcophaga dux and Wohlfahrtia nuba was impeded considerably compared to an unexposed control group. The calliphorid species, Chrysomya albiceps, remained uninfected. B. podagrica and D. himalayanus are potential candidates for a biological control of flies.

Keywords:Parasitoid wasps; Brachymeria podagrica; Dirhinus himalayanus; Sarcophagidae; United Arab Emirates