Learning host discrimination

The ability to discriminate also appears to be influenced by experience (van Lenteren, 1976). As shown by van Lenteren (1976), inexperienced females may superparasitize many hosts until they encounter unparasitized hosts and learn to discriminate. It also appears that location of the host may be a matter of experience. Female Cardiochiles nigriceps are more likely to search for and attack hosts if they have previously encountered a host than inexperienced females (Strand and Vinson, 1982a). 

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