What is it about?
Some pest beetles will chew off palm tree leaves and wreck that attempted Beverly Hills look around nice parks, hotels and neighbourhoods in the tropics. These insects reproduce very quickly, and spread around the world. They have become resistant to many common insecticides and are thus difficult to fight off. Alternatively, there are entomopathogenic fungi that can be used as a natural control, spread directly onto the tree without harming them. The fungus will kill the pest insect with minimum impact.
Featured Image
Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash
Why is it important?
The natural methods used in controlling pests that avoid application of insecticides include those named 'biological control'. In this case we use a fungus that attacks and kills the pest insect, to reduce the need for chemical insecticides. The use of fungi to control pests is relatively cheap, effective and sustainable, and is hereby proven to work mainly on young larval stages.
Perspectives
The description of the effects of these fungi on the pest insect and the demonstration of its capacity as a biocontrol agent can facilitate designing new integrated methods for pest control and help protect ornamental palm trees.
Dr Eduardo G P Fox
IBCCF / UFRJ
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Metarhizium Entomopathogenic Fungi Against the Beetle Brontispa longissima (Coleoptera: Hispidae): Isolation and Species Identification, Environmental Entomology, December 2020, Oxford University Press (OUP),
DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvaa156.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
