Document Type
Peer-Review Article
Abstract
The alfalfa snout beetle, Otiorhynchus ligustici L., is the most serious pest of alfalfa in northern New York State. Recent research efforts focused on the biological control of this insect require the availability of all life stages. With a 2-year lifecycle and a mandatory diapause, the artificial rearing of a laboratory culture appears to be a non-viable option at present, but methods described here can be used to obtain sufficient numbers of eggs and larvae over an extended period of time for research purposes. The crowding of adult beetles in egg production units (cups) had a significant, negative effect on egg production per beetle but the total egg production per cup was still higher with higher number of beetles per cup resulting in a significant saving of labor per egg produced. Larval survival rates in alfalfa-planted cans were surprisingly low given the protected conditions of the greenhouse. The larval survival rates were not significantly different among the dates for the second instar and later instars, suggesting that larval mortality occurs in the first instar in alfalfa-planted cans.
Recommended Citation
Shields, Elson J.; Neumann, Gabor; and Testa, Antonio M.
2007.
"Alfalfa Snout Beetle, Otiorhynchus Ligustici L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): Methods for Egg Collection and Larval Rearing,"
The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 40
(1)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22543/0090-0222.2174
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol40/iss1/7