Feeding Behavior and Host Plant Preferences of Episyrphus balteatus‎ (DeGeer) ‎ and Ischiodon scutellaris ‎(Fabricius) ‎ in Southern Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

During the present study, 300 adults along with 30 larvae of Episyrphus balteatus and 212 adults along with 25 larvae of Ischiodon scutellaris were collected from 15 and 13 host plants, respectively from Bahawalpur, Southern Punjab, Pakistan. The adults of these two species were found mostly on all vegetables and crops together hovering for nectar and oviposition site. For studying the occurrence pattern and foraging behavior of hoverflies fields were studied systematically and adults were collected using hand nets along with photographs in the field. The data was analyzed using modern tools of data analysis SPSS23. These species were found to be frequent visitors of flowering plants and aphid-infested plants, which was later confirmed in our data that they have a strong relation to aphid colonies for oviposition to provide a healthy diet and enough nectar to develop their eggs. Owing to this, both flies possess a variety of host plants and hence were dominant and abundant in most of the vegetative fields. Moreover, it has also been brought into being that March is most preferred for both species in which the highest number of specimens were collected and observed in the field due to the availability of flowering crops and vegetables in the studied site. Exploring host-plant relation and their foraging ecology in deep molecular ecology is highly recommended, because feeding behavior and host plants preferences are highly corelated, plant traits effect on the feeding behavior of insect pests and their predator. In addition nutritional quality of plants, plant associated factors and sometimes availability of prey or other predator influence the feeding behavior of many insects. By learning the dynamics of these natural enemies and host plants, our study shows the possibility of improving biological control strategies. This insect-host plant relationship is a promising solution to sustainable pest management, highlighting the significance of ecosystem-based approaches in agriculture.