Two species of entomopathogenic nematode were studied in terms of their survivability, detectability by the subterranean termite Heterotermes aureus, and their ability to induce mortality in H. aureus. Heterorhabdidtis bacteriophora (Poinar) and Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser) are nematodes sold commercially as a means of biological control for termites. We used a laboratory method to determine how effective these nematode species might be under field conditions. Tests showed a difference in the survivability between nematode species and also ability to kill termites. It was also shown that H. aureus had no ability to detect either nematode species when given a choice between arenas infested with nematodes and not. Though nematodes might have some limited capacity for termite control, those considering using nematodes to control Heterotermes aureus may want to consider the species of nematode before making a purchase.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/216530 |
| Date | 02 1900 |
| Creators | Weeks, Brian, Baker, Paul |
| Contributors | Kopec, David M. |
| Publisher | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Article |
| Relation | Series P-141, AZ1359 |
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