This is particularly true for a generalist parasitoid like E. platyhypenae, where the
sympatric presence of competing host populations would likely
compromise its effectiveness at controlling a specific pest. A review
of the literature on fall armyworm parasitoids found that E.
platyhypenae was mainly collected in corn fields and not commonly
collected in pastures (Molina-Ochoa et al. 2001, Hay-Roe
unpublished results). In this context, our results might explain
the compartmental distribution of this parasitoid among the two
different habitats. Since the rice strain is better adapted to cyanogenic
plants (Hay-Roe et al. 2011), a good host strategy would lead
to a movement to cyanogenic fields, to temporarily escape parasitism
in times when overpopulated corn fields attract a diversity of
parasitoids.