Tumlinson James H., Ted C.J. Turlings, and W. Joe Lewis. 1993. Semiochemically Mediated Foraging Behavior in Beneficial Parasitic Insects. Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology 22: 385-391.

ABSTRACT

Chemical cues enable female parasitic wasps to locate the eggs, larvae, or other
life stages of the insects in or on which they place their eggs. These chemical
signals, or semiochemicals, may be produced by the hosts and/or by the plants
on which the hosts feed The composition of the chemical signal often differs with
different species of hosts or with different plants. New evidence suggests that the
wasps exploit semiochemicals emitted by plants in response to insect herbivore
feeding The wasps learn to respond to the diHerent blends of chemicals that
indicate the location of their hosts and they can be trained to respond to a specific
odor blend. Thus, it may be possible to increase their effectiveness for biological
control by conditioning them, prior to their release, to search for a target pest in
a particular crop.