Behavioral and Microbial Profiling of the Bethylid Wasp Cephalonomia stephanoderis for Biocontrol of the Coffee Berry...

The coffee berry borer (CBB, Hypothenemus hampei) is the most destructive pest of coffee, causing significant economic consequences in an array of coffee-producing regions, including Puerto Rico. Following the implementation of biological control programs using the parasitoid wasp Cephalonomia stephanoderis, key questions remain regarding how laboratory-reared wasps compare to field wasps in retaining beneficial traits, such as foraging, host attack, and offspring production. It is also of interest whether laboratory and field populations differ in the microbiota they harbor, as microbial communities can directly influence insect performance. Making these comparisons, we find that core natural-enemy functions remain largely intact in laboratory-reared wasps, but that small differences exist between these and field-collected wasps in terms of host-stage preference and oviposition timing. We also find substantial differences in microbial composition between field-collected wasps and those reared in the laboratory. Field-collected parasitoids harbored a simple microbial profile dominated by the Actinomycetota, a diverse phylum of Gram-positive bacteria, particularly in the family Corynebacterium, while laboratory-reared wasps exhibited higher diversity involving a broader range of bacterial phyla. These microbiome differences, confirmed by alpha and beta diversity analyses, suggest that laboratory rearing restructures parasitoid-associated microbial communities. While behavioral performance remained largely comparable, differences in microbial community composition suggest that microbiota should be considered when evaluating laboratory-reared agents for pest management programs. Further studies are needed to better understand microbial shifts and their potential links to parasitoid behavior and performance.