BACILLUS AND SERRATIA SPECIES FOR SCARAB CONTROL

Authors: Klein, Michael; KAYA HARRY K - UNIV CALIF/DAVIS

Submitted to: Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/31/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Scarab beetles and their larvae (white grubs) are serious pests of crops, ornamentals and turf throughout the world, and are likely to increase in significance as conventional insecticides are further restricted. Unfortunately, there are very few microorganisms commercially available for use against these pests. Entomopathogenic bacteria, particularly the milky disease bacteria (Bacillus popilliae), have been used the longest for suppression of scarab larvae. Other bacteria such as Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) and Serratia spp. offer promise for control in the future. We have examined these three groups of organisms from both the historical and current perspective. Although B. popilliae has been successfully used for over fifty years against the Japanese beetle, the lack of production in artificial media and the slow and sporadic nature of the disease restrict its utilization. BT is the most widely used microbial pesticide, but it has not been effective against scarab larvae. Newly discovered strains offer promise for increased use of this pathogen. Bacteria which are similar to those causing amber disease in New Zealand scarabs (Serratia spp.) have been found in the U.S. This paper outlines the isolation and characterization of these organisms and lists their hosts and tentative identification. The information presented here serves as a summary of the past usage of bacteria against white grubs, and offers guidelines for increased utilization in the future.

Technical Abstract: Few microorganisms are commercially available for use against white grubs (larvae of Scarabaeidae). Entomopathogenic bacteria have been used the longest and offer promise for future use. This paper examines two genera of bacteria (Bacillus and Serratia) from a historical perspective and the present status. Bacillus thuringiensis is the most frequently used microbial pesticide, but strains with scarab activity have only recently been discovered. Bacillus popilliae was the first microbial control agent registered in the United States, and has had a long history of use in suppressing populations of the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica. However, lack of in vitro production and the slow and sporadic nature of its activity, severely limit its utilization. Scarab larvae have been collected in the United States with symptoms similar to those characteristic of amber disease (caused by Serratia entomophila) in the New Zealand grass grub, Costelytra zealandica. One hundred forty seven bacterial isolates have been selected from the digestive tracts of larvae of the Japanese beetle and masked chafers, Cyclocephala spp., as well as from larvae and soil collected in Japan and China.