Project properties

Title Beware of hyper-parasitoids: plant and insect responses to parasitized herbivores.
Group Entomology, Laboratory of
Project type thesis
Credits 24-36
Supervisor(s) Erik Poelman
Examiner(s) Marcel Dicke
Contact info erik.poelman@wur.nl
Begin date 2023/01/01
End date 2025/12/31
Description Hyperparasitoids are major limiting factors in biological control. This is because they parasitize on insects which we use as biological control agents. Understanding the ecology of hyperparasitoids is crucial to develop measures that minimize the risks of hyperparasitoids to biological control programs.

By using a multi-disciplinary approach this project aims to:
- Learn more about plant responses to parasitized herbivores
- Find out which cues hyperparasitoids use to locate their host
Used skills Volatile analysis (plant/insect)
Behavioural assays of hyper-parasitoids
Various molecular techniques
Requirements For doing a BSc-thesis at Entomology, there are no requirements for specific courses.
For doing a MSc-thesis or internship at Entomology, the following requirements apply: ENT-30806 + a second ENT-course (preferably ENT-30306 or ENT-50806 or ENT-53806). As an alternative for the second ENT-course, PHP-30806 or BHE-30306 can be selected.
Note: these requirements do not apply for MBI students; MBI students should check the requirements for doing an ENT MSc-thesis or internship in the study programme of their specialisation.