EVALUATING THE FEEDING BEHAVIOR OF COMMERCIAL AND INDIGENOUS HIPPODAMIA CONVERGENS ON SWEETPOTATO WHITEFLY: A LABORATORY AND FIELD STUDY

Authors: Hagler, James; Naranjo, Steven

Submitted to: Sweetpotato Whitefly Progress Review Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Laboratory and field studies were conducted in 1995 to compare the predatory activity of commercial Hippodamia convergens with their wild counterparts on sweetpotato whitefly. Laboratory studies indicate that the number of prey consumed, the predator handling time of prey, and the predator searching behaviors (i.e., searching, resting, grooming, etc.) were almost identical between the commercial and indigenous predators. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that we have already developed for detection of these pest egg antigens were used to measure the efficacy of commercial and indigenous populations under field conditions. The commercial predators were marked, released into cotton and cantaloupe fields, recaptured, and their gut contents were examined for prey remains by ELISA. Field results suggest that the commercial predators feed on whitefly as frequently as their indigenous counterparts