Effects of Recombinant Baculoviruses on a Nontarget Endoparasitoid ofHeliothis virescens

Our study evaluated the effect of wild-type and recombinantAutographa californicanuclear polyhedrosis viruses (AcNPVs) on an endoparasitoid ofHeliothis virescens.The development time of the parasitoidMicroplitis croceipeswas shortened in AcNPV-infected hosts. However, parasitoid survival in hosts treated with recombinant NPVs did not significantly differ from survival rates in hosts infected with wild-type NPV or uninfected controls. Earlier emergence was recorded for parasitoid larvae developing in hosts infected with recombinant NPVs than parasitoid larvae from hosts infected with wild-type NPV. Adult parasitoids which had developed as larvae in hosts infected with recombinant NPVs were significantly smaller in size, suggesting a cost associated with more rapid development rates. PCR primers for AcNPV produced a predicted product in approximately 40% of F1 adults developing from NPV-infected hosts.