A low-cost alternative to Parafilm for cotton boll weevil larval encapsulation and parasitism by Jaliscoa grandis (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae).

Jaliscoa grandis (Burks) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), one of the main parasitoids of the cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is mass-reared using larvae of this insect encapsulated in Parafilm, an efficient synthetic material; however, its high cost highlights the need to evaluate alternative films for this process. Three experiments were conducted. The first aimed to analyze the oviposition behavior of J. grandis in cotton squares with cotton boll weevil larvae and in cotton squares containing larvae encapsulated in different substrates. The second evaluated parasitism by J. grandis in larvae encapsulated in EVA cells with different thicknesses and types of paper covering them, compared to Parafilm. The third experiment analyzed parasitism using the alternative film and the production costs of this material for laboratory use. The numbers of perforations, eggs laid, progeny emergence, and mortality of cotton boll weevil larvae caused by the parasitoid J. grandis were similar in host larvae encapsulated with Parafilm or with EVA coated with tissue paper or paper towel. The operational and economic advantages of these alternative films, without reducing parasitism or the development of J. grandis progeny, reinforce their potential for use in augmentative biological control programs against the cotton boll weevil.