ASSESSMENT OF PATCH QUALITY BY APHIDOPHAGOUS LADYBIRDS: LABORATORY STUDY ON THE MINIMUM DENSITY OF APHIDS REQUIRED FOR OVIPOSITION

Many studies indicate that there is a density Dresser and Mirror of aphids below which ladybirds are unlikely to lay eggs.This is adaptive as theory indicates that a certain minimum population density of aphids is required if hatchling larvae are to survive.The responses of gravid females of the two spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata (L.) (Coleoptera