POTENTIAL OF NEEM SEED KERNEL PRODUCTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE COCKCHAFERS MELOLONTHA-HIPPOCASTANI F AND M-MELOLONTHA-L (COL, SCARABAEIDAE)

Seed kernel extract (NSKE) and seed oil from the neem tree Azadirachta indica A. Juss. reduced the fecundity of the females of the cockchafer Melolontha hippocastani in semi-field trials. These results were confirmed by a field trial, but immigration of untreated beetles into treated plots prevented a clear estimation of the efficacy of the neem-treatment. The fecundity of females of M. melolontha was reduced after neem-treatment in the laboratory. The food intake of the beetles was diminished for several days and the ability to fly decreased or was lost if males were treated with an NSKE, so that reproduction would be probably impossible under natural conditions.