MANAGEMENT OF LATE-SEASON ADULTS OF THE COLORADO POTATO BEETLE (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE) WITH ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODES

Abstract

AbstractThe susceptibility of Colorado potato beetle [Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae] to entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernema carpocapsae, ’All’ strain, Nematoda: Heterorhabditae) was tested in the laboratory and the field in 1992 and 1993. Under laboratory conditions, applications of 5.0 × 105S. carpocapsae per square metre to larvae, pupae, and (or) adults resulted in 100% mortality in all experimental groups. Steinernema carpocapsae persisted through the larval–pupal and pupal–adult transitions. A single application of nematodes was sufficient to control the Colorado potato beetle. The following treatments were tested at field sites in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island: (i) untreated check, (ii) application of nematodes, or (iii) application of insecticides. Straw mulch was either present or absent in each treatment. In 1992 in New Brunswick, nematodes and fenvalerate reduced Colorado potato beetle populations by 31% compared with the untreated check. However, in 1993, differences among treatments were not significant. The results from the field trials in Prince Edward Island were variable; the life expectancy of nematodes is likely shorter in the field than under laboratory conditions. Further investigation into the benefits of repeated applications of nematodes, higher rates, or improvements in application technology are required to achieve consistent control of the Colorado potato beetle.