Epiricania melanoleuca (Fletcher)

Epiricania melanoleuca is an important ectoparasitod on nymphs and adults of sugarcane pyrilla Pyrilla perpusilla (Walker). The parasitoid does not multiply in sufficient numbers in dry period and as the temperature drops to 16°C, the females lay eggs in trash for overwintering. The redistribution of E. melanoleuca for the management of sugarcane pyrilla has proved a notable success in many areas of the country

The initial culture of Epiricania melanoleuca is started by collecting the cocoons of the parasitoid from the field. The cocoons are kept in 5 cm petridishes the bottom of which is lined by filter paper. The moths emerge in 5-7 days and mate immediately. The females readily lay eggs on the filter paper provided. The larvae from these eggs hatch within a week. 5 day old 100 nymphs / adults of pyrilla and 200-400 freshly emerged larvae of the parasitoid are kept in a glass tube (15 x 5 cm) for 15-30 minutes. For further rearing the parasitized individuals are transferred in battery jars where sugarcane leaves and diet containing 2.5 percent sugar and 2.5 protinules is made available. The optimum room temperature for rearing the parasitoid is 27-30oC. Nylon net field cages 3x2x2 m. can also be used for mass multiplication of E. melanoleuca. Sugarcane or sweet sorghum plants grown inside the cages are infested with laboratory reared sugarcane pyrilla eggs. Once the pyrilla are 5 days old, the newly emerged E. melanoleuca are introduced into of such cages. The cocoons of E. melanoleuca are collected after about a week by cutting the leaflets which could then be released in the fields. Efforts are on to multiply E. melanoleuca on semisynthetic diet so that the labour on host rearing could be saved.