COLORADO POTATO BEETLE (COLEOPTERA, CHRYSOMELIDAE) CONSUMPTION OF FOLIAGE TREATED WITH BACILLUS-THURINGIENSIS VAR SAN-DIEGO AND VARIOUS FEEDING STIMULANTS

Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), larvae and adults were not behaviorally deterred from, and in some cases may have been stimulated to increase, feeding initially by the presence of M-One (Bacillus thuringiensis var. san diego) on foliage. However, consumption of M-One caused a decrease in subsequent consumption even of untreated foliage. Although certain feeding stimulants including sucrose, Coax, Entice, and a mixture of sucrose, amino acids, chlorogenic acid, and vegetable lecithin all stimulated feeding on foliage in laboratory tests either with or without M-One, this increased consumption did not increase subsequent mortality due to M-One. In a field experiment, increased consumption may have occurred where M-One was combined with Entice, but not to an extent sufficient to cause mortality greater than that on M-One alone.