THE EFFECT OF THE CONSUMPTION OF NPV-INFECTED DEAD FALL ARMYWORM LARVAE ON THE LONGEVITY OF TWO SPECIES OF SCAVENGER BEETLES

Adults of the scavenger beetles Ateuchus histeroides Weber and Trox suberosus F. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) were fed 4 meals in the laboratory over a 3-wk interval, of either dead fall armyworm larvae killed by nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) or non-infected fall armyworm larvae killed in hot water. The beetles were held without additional food for 87 d and the time to death was compared with that of beetles unfed during the test period. For both species, there were no statistically significant differences between the longevity of beetles consuming virus-infected carcasses and those consuming uninfected carcasses. Consequently, the application of fall armyworm NPV in row crop situations would have little negative effect on populations of these scavenger beetles.