Adult Feeding Host Range and Migratory Activities of Com Earworm, Cabbage Looper, and Celery Looper (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Moths as Evidenced by Attached Pollen

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the host plant feeding range and possible migratory activities of com earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie); cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hübner); and celery looper, Anagrapha falcifera (Kirby), through analysis of pollen attached to their bodies. Pollen grain identification from 392 moths captured in southern Texas and southern Oklahoma showed that moths fed on a wide range of plants including Citrus, Salix, Quercus, and Pithecellobium. Such information provides insight on the feeding range of adults and aids in the selection of plants attractive to the adult, enabling isolation and identification of adult feeding attractants. Thirty percent of H. zea moths collected in southern Texas and 6% of those collected in southern Oklahoma were contaminated with Citrus pollen. Citrus is not native to Oklahoma, and associated weather systems and atmospheric trajectories strongly suggest that H. zea and T. ni moths labeled with Citrus pollen had moved at least 700 km northward from southern Texas.