The parasitoid wasp Pnigalio agraules (Wlk.) is a key natural enemy of the horsechestnut leafminer Cameraria ohridella Deschka and DimiT (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). As a basis for mark-release-recapture studies, aimed at investigating the dispersal of this parasitoid in the Weld, adults of P. agraules were marked using a vertebrate-speciWc immunoglobulin (IgG). The marker was later detected by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). The IgG was either applied externally by spraying or internally by feeding an IgG-enriched diet. DiVerent concentrations of the marker were used and the inXuence of abiotic (climatic conditions, time elapsed between marking and marker examination) and biotic factors (sex and age of the parasitoids) on the detection of the immunomarker was tested. External marking by spraying led to more homogeneous labelling than feeding the marker. Parasitoids labelled with 0.25 mg rabbit IgG per ten individuals contained enough immunomarker to be easily distinguished from unmarked ones. Neither the climatic conditions nor the sex or age of the insects had an inXuence on the detection of the marker. The IgG remained well detectable during the entire lifespan of the parasitoids, which was not negatively aVected by the marking procedure. Serological marking can be used to investigate the dispersal behaviour of beneWcial insects within markrelease-recapture studies.
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