Evaluation of Aqueous Suspension and Entomopathogenic Nematodes Infected Cadaver Applications against the Great Spruce Bark Beetle Dendroctonus micans (Kugelann), (Coleoptera: Scolytidae).

Efficacy of three Turkish isolates of the entomopathogenic nematodes; Steinernema carpocapsae, S. feltiae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora were evaluated against the great spruce bark beetle Dendroctonus micans (Kugelann) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) larvae under laboratory conditions. Optimum nematode application rate and temperature were determined. The experiments were conducted testing the concentrations of 100, 500 and 1000 infective juveniles (IJs) at 10, 15 and 25°C. Temperature and nematode concentration had significant effects on D. micans larval mortality. Generally, S. feltiae and H. bacteriophora species displayed mortality increase in parallel with rising temperature and number of applied IJs. At 25°C and 1000 IJs concentration, larval mortality attained 98.04 and 94.04% for S. feltiae and H. bacteriophora, respectively, while S. carpocapsae did not exhibit more than 40% mortality at any of the temperatures and/or the concentrations applied. At 25°C, infected cadaver application showed 94.04, 86.93 and 38.84% mortality for S. feltiae, H. bacteriophora and S. carpocapsae, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]