Hypera postica; CONTROL-BY; Bathyplectes curculionis (Hymenoptera); Control implications of honeydew from Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera); HYMENOPTERAN-PARASITES; Bathyplectes curculionis; Parasite longevity & fecundity; Effect of honeydew from Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera) Bathyplectes curculionis; CONTROL-OF; Hypera postica (Coleoptera); Control implications of honeydew from Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera); AGE-; DIET-; FOOD-AVAILABILITY; Honeydew from Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera); Effect on longevity & fecundity, biological control implications; FECUNDITY-; LONGEVITY-; Feeding on honeydew of Acyrthosiphon (Hemiptera) effects; COMMENSALISM-; Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera); Honeydew feeding, effect on parasitoid longevity & fecundity; Implications for biocontrol of Hypera postica (Coleoptera); COLEOPTERAN-HOSTS; Hypera postica; Parasite longevity & fecundity; Effect of honeydew from Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera) Acyrthosiphon pisum; HONEYDEW-; Feeding by Bathyplectes curculionis (Hymenoptera); Biocontrol implications; COMMENSALISM-; Bathyplectes curculionis (Hymenoptera); Honeydew feeding, effect on parasitoid longevity & fecundity; Implications for biocontrol of Hypera postica (Coleoptera) The ability of parasitoids to attack their hosts may be influenced by the availability of adult food sources such as homopteran honeydew. To test this hypothesis for the wasp Bathyplectes curculionis (Thomson), a parasitoid of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), we performed laboratory experiments to determine whether availability of pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), honeydew influenced adult longevity and fecundity of the wasp. Adult wasps caged with alfalfa, Medicago sativa L., and pea aphids fed on the aphid honeydew and lived approximately 50% longer than wasps caged with alfalfa alone. In a related experiment, newly emerged, unmated B. curculionis females were allowed to feed for 2 d on pea aphid honeydew, sucrose dissolved in water, or water alone, and were then dissected to determine the number of eggs in a lateral oviduct. Egg production was slightly (11-15%) but significantly greater in females with access to pea aphid honeydew or sugar water than in females with access to water only. These results suggest that availability of pea aphid honeydew in alfalfa fields may enhance the realized fecundity of B. curculionis. Hence, the presence of pea aphids in moderate numbers may be beneficial for biological control of the alfalfa weevil. none