Le vendredi 8 juin 2018 à 13h00, salle de conférences de l'OSUR, bâtiment 14b, Campus de Beaulieu, UR1

Honeydew as food source for insects: a sweet than can become toxic

Abstract: Honeydew is a sugar-rich excretion of phloem feeding insects, which is likely the primary carbohydrate source available to insects in many agroecosystems. Over the last decade, it has been demonstrated that parasitoids, predators, ants and pollinators often utilize this sugar source and there is evidence that honeydew can indirectly impact the population dynamics of herbivores through its nutritional value for parasitoids and predators. The strength of these effects will depend on the quality and quantity of the honeydew, and the presence and competitive strength of other honeydew consumers such as ants. The combination of these factors is expected to result in distinct scenarios that should be analyzed for each agroecosystem. This scenario, however, can change if honeydew-producers feed on plants sprayed with insecticides as we have recently demonstrated that honeydew can be a new route of insecticide exposure to beneficial insects.

Contact: Alejandro TENA BARREDA