Engineering the biological control of the Colorado potato beetle with the predatory stink bug Perillus bioculatus

Abstract

Research and media have raised a public concern regarding health food, as well as theincreasing necessity of using environmentally friendly methods for crop protection against pests. Inseveral countries around the world, the most popular method of controlling the Colorado potatobeetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), is regular applications of chemical insecticidesduring the insects life cycle. In agriculture, where high competition and low profits are a daily reality,chemical insecticides have been popular due to their low cost and high efficiency on a short termbasis. However, the over use of chemical insecticides can lead to serious health and environmentproblems. Moreover, because of its high adaptability, most of the registered chemicals are presentlynot efficient to manage this important potato pest on a long term basis. Several studies have been conducted to develop alternatives to insecticides, but they are in general not yet applicable forcurrent commercial scale production. One of them is augmentative biological control using a naturalpredator insect to control the pest population. Considering the need of a more sustainableagriculture, the main objective of this research is to develop adequate short term storage techniquesfor the second instar nymphs of the predatory stink bug, Perillus bioculatus. The understanding ofthis storage being essential to the transport and distribution with a predators delivery system incommercial potato crops.