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Read the
magazine
story to find out more. Insect
Remains Are Better 'Suited' for Fight Against PestsBy Jim Core May 13, 2002A team of
Agricultural Research Service scientists
has developed a patented formula that coats and holds fragile insect cadavers
together. Why preserve dead bugs? Not for the cadavers, but for the nematodes inside
them. These nematodes are beneficial because they kill pests but dont
harm humans or the environment. Beneficial nematode offspring escape their deceased hosts when placed in
orchards or greenhouse soils. The nematodes then protect crops such as citrus,
pecans, cranberries, greenhouse ornamentals and mushrooms from soil-dwelling
pests like citrus root and black vine weevils. The nematodes also pack another potent weapon against pests: bacteria that
live inside them. Once the nematode infects an insect pest, the bacteria leave
the nematode and they both, working together, kill the pest after about 48
hours. The nematodes and bacteria then feed off their host and reproduce inside
it. The usual method of releasing nematodes into a desired environment is
through a liquid spray solution, but this is often more expensive than chemical
insecticides. The cadaver method allows many more nematodes to be reared in
insects at a lower cost, according to David I. Shapiro-Ilan, a research
entomologist at the
Southeastern
Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory in Byron, Ga. A patented starch-and-clay coating was developed to protect the insect
cadavers from deterioration. Shapiro-Ilan collaborated with Edwin E. Lewis, a
professor of entomology at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va., and other ARS
researchers to find a way to successfully formulate cadavers using sticking
agents and powders. The coating makes it easier to store and handle the
cadavers and also improves tolerance to environmental extremes. When the
surface becomes moist, the coating degrades rapidly because it is made from
environmentally friendly materials. H&T Alternative Controls, LLC, of Perry, Ga., recently signed a
cooperative research and development agreement with ARS--the chief scientific
research agency of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture--to mass-rear nematodes and produce infected cadavers. More information can be found in the
May
2002 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. U.S. Department of Agriculture |