Eastern Tent Caterpillar Control with Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruses in Maryland, 1981

• Published in: Insecticide and acaricide tests 1982-01, Vol.7 (1), p.215-215
• Main Authors: Tompkins, George J., Neal, John W., Young, Janet, Adams, Jean R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0276-3656
• DOI: 10.1093/iat/7.1.215

Eastern tent caterpillar control was evaluated on wild cherry and on flowering crab apple trees along access roads on the Beltsville Research Center. Trees varied in size and age. Viruses tested were nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) of Autographacalifornica that had previously been passaged twice in M. americanum and M. americanum nuclear polyhedrosis virus. DIpel was included as a biological control standard. Egg development was closely monitored, and hatch was first observed on Apr 2. Test 1 was Initiated on Apr 8 and consisted of 10 randomly chosen tents on black cherry. Treatments applied were the higher concentration of each virus. Tents were monitored daily. Test 2 was conducted on Apr 17 to 10 individual randomized replicates per treatment. In both tests, 1 liter volumes were applied on tents and adjacent foliage on flowering crab apple trees with trombone sprayer; 0.1 ml of Triton X-100 was added to each liter of formulation. Tents were monitored daily. Fourteen days after treatment tents were removed and live larvae counted. Daily high temperatures ranged from 14°C to 30°C with nightly low temperatures ranging from -2°C to 6°C during the test period. Measurable rain was recorded on Apr 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 19, 22, 23, and 26.