Biocontrol of the dried fruit beetle, <italic>Carpophilus hemipterus</italic> (L.) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) using Turkish entomopathogenic nematodes (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae)

Abstract<italic>Carpophilus hemipterus</italic> (L.) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), a dried fruit beetle is a major pest on various grains and fruits all over the world and causes significant economic losses. Recently, due to the negative effects of pesticides on the environment and humans, biological control agents such as entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) used to control insects are gaining importance. The aim of this study was carried out to determine biocontrol potential of three local entomopathogenic nematode isolates against different stages of dried fruit beetle (larvae, pupae, and adults) under controlled conditions. <italic>S. carpocapsae</italic> isolate Bakışlı05, <italic>H. bacteriophora</italic> isolate Z-1 and <italic>H. bacteriophora</italic> isolate TOK-20 used in experiments. Isolates were applied at four different concentrations i.e. 0, 250, 500, and 1000 IJs/ml at 25 °C. Mortality rates of larvae, pupae, and adults of <italic>C. hemipterus</italic> were determined four times (24, 48, 72, and 96 h) following inoculation. The highest mortality rate of larvae of <italic>C. hemipterus</italic> was caused by <italic>Heterorhabditis bacteriophora</italic> isolate Z-1 with 98.67% mortality followed by <italic>H. bacteriophora</italic> isolate TOK-20 with 93.85% and then <italic>Steinernema carpocapsae</italic> isolate Bakışlı05 with 86.67% at the highest concentration (1000 IJs/ml). The highest mortality rate on <italic>C. hemipterus</italic> pupae was recorded at the highest concentration of <italic>S. carpocapsae</italic> isolate Bakışlı05, which was 48.00%, followed by <italic>H. bacteriophora</italic> isolate Z-1 and <italic>H. bacteriophora</italic> isolate TOK-20, which had mortality rates of 43.33% and 38.00%, respectively. Moreover, the highest adult mortality rate was determined at the maximum concentration of <italic>S. carpocapsae</italic> (Bakışlı05), with 42.67% among all EPN isolates tested. This study shows that the use of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) for the management of dried fruit beetle can be an alternative method to pest control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]