Morphological Description of Dirhinus spp., a Parasitoid of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Pupae Detected in Bondo

Abstract

The farming of the black soldier fly (BSF) as a feed insect is on an increasing trend in Kenya. However, the enterprise is now under threat from parasitoids of the pupae stage. The objectives of this communication are to create awareness on a recently described wasp parasitoid discovered within the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University Black Soldier fly farm in Bondo; and highlight possible mitigation management strategies. The parasitoid was isolated from pupa stage and characterized using a binocular microscope to observe and measure various body parts such as body length without antennae, antenna length, forewing length, head capsule width, thorax width, and abdomen width. Results indicated that the body length without antennae was 5.15 mm, body length with antennae was 7.97 mm, antenna length was 1.5 mm, forewing length 2.81 mm while the widths of the head capsule, thorax, and abdomen were 1mm each. The parasitoid was subsequently identified by use of dichotomous keys to belong to order Hymenoptera, family Chalcididae, and Genus Dirhinus. The study recommends further characterization of the parasitoid to species level by molecular techniques and use of suggested sustainable management methods to contain the parasitoid menace within BSF farms.