The efficacy of native entomopathogenic nematodes on the fall webworm Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae)

The fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury) prefers mulberry and maple leaves but it can also cause damage to apple, pear, plum, cherry, quince, walnut, hazelnut and ornamental plants. In this study, the susceptibility of H. cunea to native entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) was investigated under laboratory conditions. Ten isolates from four EPNs, namely Steinernema affine, S. carpocapsae, S. feltiae and H. bacteriophora, were used in the study. The EPNs were isolated from different provinces of Turkey and H. cunea larvae were collected from hazelnut orchards in Düzce. The efficacy assays were conducted on 12 well plates at 25 0C using one H. cunea larva/100 infective juveniles. The mortalities of H. cunea larvae were recorded at 24, 48 and 72 h after nematode inoculation. Depending on the nematode species, 25-100% mortality of the H. cunea larvae occurred. Based on the results of this study it would be useful to determine the potential of EPNs for the biological control of H. cunea in field studies