| Popis: |
We investigated foraging movements by adult female convergent lady beetles, Hippodamia convergeas Guerin-Meneville, on wheat, Triticum aestivum L., growing in 1.8 × 1.8 m plantings in a greenhouse with a soil floor. The wheat was planted to simulate wheat in a typical production field. One planting was infested with English grain aphids, Sitobion avenae L., whereas the other planting was not infested. Beetles were maintained on one of two feeding regimes, partially starved (light-fed) and fed excess aphids (heavy-fed). The average distances moved by beetles per minute were 20.3 and 21.3 cm for light- and heavy-fed beetles in aphid-free plots compared to 4.6 and 10.1 cm by light- and heavy-fed beetles in aphid-infested plots. Light- and heavy-fed beetles moved almost the same distance per minute in the absence of aphids. However, in the aphid-infested plot, light-fed beetles moved a shorter distance than did heavy-fed beetles. The numbers of turns per minute were 0.29 and 0.49 for light- and heav... |
