| Summary: | Chinese silkworm (<i>Antheraea pernyi</i>) eggs are used as factitious hosts of <i>Anastatus fulloi</i>, and refrigeration of these eggs is essential for large-scale rearing of <i>A. fulloi</i>. We studied the effects of cold storage of <i>A. pernyi</i> eggs on egg quality and the fitness of <i>A. fulloi</i> reared on the eggs. Four cold storage treatments and two cold storage periods were assessed. The 0–3 °C refrigerator treatment was unsuitable for long-term (>70 days) storage. Cold storage at −5 °C and −18 °C increased the loss rate of <i>A. pernyi</i> eggs, but there was no significant difference between the control and 0–3 °C water bath treatment. The parasitism rate of <i>A. fulloi</i> was reduced when <i>A. pernyi</i> eggs were refrigerated for 6 or 12 months. There were no obvious differences in eclosion rate and percentage of females between control and eggs subjected to 6-month storage in 0–3 °C, −5 °C, and −18 °C water bath treatments. However, the eclosion rate and percentage of females decreased sharply when the storage period was 12 months. The overall eclosion rate of <i>A. fulloi</i> was reduced at the prolonged refrigeration time. Cold storage reduced host egg quality and their fitness suitability for <i>A. fulloi.</i> To minimize losses in the large-scale rearing of <i>A. fulloi</i>, <i>A. pernyi</i> eggs should be refrigerated in a 0–3 °C or −5 °C water bath treatment, and the storage period should not exceed 6 months.
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