Bed bugs Cimex lectularius L. were exposed to conidia (spores) of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae by feeding, aerosol spray, or contact with a treated surface. Feeding experiments demonstrated that bed bugs were innately susceptible to this fungus. However, only at 98% humidity were mortality rates high, regardless of whether bed bugs were sprayed with a fungal solution or co...

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a serious pest of the palm tree in tropical regions of the world. One strain of Metarhizium sp. ZJ-1, isolated from Chinese soils, was evaluated for growth characteristics, and screened for its virulence to R. ferrugineus larvae in laboratory conditions. An approximately 685-bp fragment was amplified by ITS (I...

Six Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin isolates were obtained from Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) and Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki in the U.S. and China. These isolates, plus the B. bassiana isolate 26037 from American Type Culture Collection that was isolated from Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say)) were compared against C. formosanus and R. flavipes in the laborat...

Laboratory soil bioassays were performed at economic field rates for in-furrow (3.85 x 10(6)spores/g dry soil) and broadcast (3.85 x 10(5)spores/g dry soil) applications with three isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae (F52, ATCC62176, and ARSEF5520) and one isolate of Beauveria bassiana (GHA). All isolates tested were infective to second instar Delia radicum (L.). The conditionally registered M. ...

In this study, Metarhizium rileyi isolates (M. NIPHM, M. MTCC 4254 and 10395) were evaluated for their compatibility with other entomopathogenic fungi viz. anisopliae NBAIR (Ma-35), commercial formulation of anisopliae, (Local), Beauveria bassiana ITCC 7126, B. (Local) Verticillium lecanii neem based formulations- (azadirachtin 0.03%EC) 0.15%EC) along synthetic insecticide spinetoram 11.7%SC. N...

Insect-pathogenic fungi are important natural enemies of insect pests but their dynamics in the soils of different agroecosystems are incompletely understood. In the present study, the seasonal occurrence and species diversity of insect-associated fungi in soil were investigated by baiting soil samples with larvae of Galleria mellonella. The survey included insect-pathogenic fungi, opportunisti...

The present study describes an accurate quantitative method for quantifying the adherence of conidia to the arthropod cuticle and the dynamics of conidial germination on the host. The method was developed using conidia of Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae (Metschn.) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) and engorged Rhipicephalus annulatus (Say) (Arachnida: Ixodidae) females and was also ...

To identify the susceptibility of long-horned grasshoppers to entomopathogenic fungi, the effect of infection with the fungi Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) and Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) on food consumption by Uvarovistia zebra (Uvarov) (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) was investigated. Preliminary results showed...