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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #212150

Title: Rearing Cactoblastis cactorum on artificial diet and Opuntia cladodes

Author
item Marti, Orville
item Myers, Ronald
item Carpenter, James

Submitted to: Journal of Entomological Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/16/2007
Publication Date: 1/1/2008
Citation: Marti, O.G., Myers, R.E., Carpenter, J.E. 2008. Rearing Cactoblastis cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on artificial diet and Opuntia cladodes. J. Entomol. Sci. 43:95-106.

Interpretive Summary: The cactus moth is an invasive insect whose caterpillars destroy cactus plants. Many of the cactus species attacked by this insect are important to the economy and ecology of Mexico and the southwestern United States. The cactus moth presently occurs along the coast of the U.S. from Charleston, SC, to Dauphin Island, south of Mobile, AL, and in the interior of Florida. The control measure currently in place against this insect involves manual destruction of infested cactus and releasing large numbers of sterile moths to mate with wild moths and produce sterile offspring. Here, we describe two procedures for rearing large numbers of cactus moths using cactus pads and artificial diet bsed on white kidney beans as food.

Technical Abstract: The cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum Berg, is an invasive species that threatens economically and ecologically important native cacti in Mexico and the U.S. southwest. The insect presently occurs along the coastal U.S. from Charleston, SC, to Dauphin Island, south of Mobile, AL, and in the interior of Florida. Current control and eradication tactics include manual destruction of infested cactus and the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), which involves the release of irradiated cactus moths to mate with wild moths and produce sterile offspring. The ability to rear the cactus moths in the laboratory has been crucial in research and development of survey and control techniques. Here, we describe procedures for rearing the cactus moth in the laboratory on cactus cladodes and artificial diet, and provide a foundation for the further development of mass-rearing protocols.