Soil insecticides, plastic mulch and adult control as methods of reducing populations of larvalAulacophora similis(Coleoptera; chrysomelidae) in cantaloupe fields

Abstract

Abstract Two experiments were undertaken to determine ways of controlling larval populations of Aulacophora similis Olivier on cantaloupe in Guam in the Mariana Islands. In the first experiment, three soil insecticides were tested with or without black plastic mulch. Carbofuran reduced the number of larvae initially but no differences were observed as the fruit matured. Chlorpyrifos and diazinon had no effect on larval populations. Larvae were more abundant under black plastic mulch. In the second experiment, carbofuran, black plastic, and control of adults whenever a threshold of 1 per 10 plants was exceeded, were tested in all combinations. Black plastic did not affect the number of larvae in the second experiment, but did provide a barrier which kept larvae from damaging the melons lying on the plastic. The yield of melons increased as a result of both plastic mulch and carbofuran use. The data suggest that control of adults resulted in significant reductions in larval numbers, but considerable damage ...