FEEDING-BEHAVIOR OF PLUTELLA-XYLOSTELLA AND LEPTINOTARSA-DECEMLINEATA ON LEAVES TREATED WITH BACILLUS-THURINGIENSIS AND ESFENVALERATE

Studies were conducted to examine interactions between esfenvalerate and Bacillus thuringiensis Berl. in their effects on feeding behavior of larvae of Plutella xylostella L. and Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say. Droplets containing esfenvalerate, B. thuringiensis, the two in combination, and water controls were individually applied to leaf disks. Third-instar P. xylostella larvae were allowed to feed for 24 h on cabbage disks and third-instar L. decemlineata larvae were allowed to feed for approximately 18 h on potato leaf disks. For each insect species and each treatment, the proportion of leaf area removed during the feeding period Was regressed on the proportion of droplets removed during that period to test for avoidance of droplet residues. No significant differences were found between treatments in these regressions for L. decemlineata. In contrast, B. thuringiensis, either alone or in combination with esfenvalerate, significantly affected the relationship of leaf and droplet consumption for P. xylostella. No evidence of individual droplet avoidance, i.e. a consistently greater proportion of leaf than droplets consumed, was found for any of the treatments. Proportions of leaf consumed and proportions of droplets consumed were compared among treatments to test for effects on feeding rate. B. thuringiensis significantly reduced feeding rate, both alone and in combination with esfenvalerate for P. xylostella and alone for L. decemlineata. We found no statistically significant differences in feeding rate due to esfenvalerate. The species studied can be expected to consume the same amount of B. thuringiensis whether it is mixed with esfenvalerate or not, whereas esfenvalerate dose by ingestion would be reduced if it were mixed with B. thuringiensis.