Preference and performance of different <i>Kalanchoe</i> species for oviposition by females of a predatory bug <i>Orius laevigatus</i> (Fieber) (Heteroptera, Anthocoridae)

Preference for, and suitability of three plant species: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, K. daigremontiana, and K. laciniata for oviposition by females of a predatory bug Orius laevigatus were investigated under laboratory conditions. The study was aimed at the improvement of the methods for laboratory and mass rearing of this entomophage widely used for biological control of greenhouse pests. The evaluated parameters were the number of eggs laid per leaf by O. laevigatus females within 24 h and the proportion of hatched larvae. The experiments showed that all three Kalanchoe species are more or less equally suitable as substrates for egg-laying by O. laevigatus females, although when possible it is preferable to use K. blossfeldiana.