Assessment of patch quality by aphidophagous ladybirds: laboratory study on the minimum density of aphids required for oviposition
Many studies indicate that there is a density of aphids below which ladybirds are unlikely to lay eggs.This is adaptive as theory indicates that a certain minimum population density of aphids is required if hatchling larvae are to survive.The responses of gravid females of the two spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata (L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), r