Effects of milky disease on hemolymph coagulation and on the number of hemocytes in infected larvae of the Japanese beetle

Abstract

Daily counts of hemocytes in diseased and healthy larvae of the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, showed a 1.4-fold increase in hemocytes in diseased larvae after 98-day degrees. The average counts/mm 3 for infected (24,988) and healthy (25,044) larvae were not significantly different for the test period of 161-day degrees. Ability of the hemolymph to coagulate was not significantly altered in diseased larvae. The average weight of all larvae was 211±4 mg (standard error with 160 observations), and it did not change significantly during the test.