41st Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology
and 9th International Conference on Bacillus thuringiensis

In the last two decades, entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) were mainly applied against insect pests in aqueous suspension to the soil; however, this application method presents limitations. In orchards, and in other cases where the insect pests are concentrated, EPNs can be successfully applied as infected host cadavers. Host cadavers, with infective juveniles (IJs) emerging over 2-14 days, may act as effective slow release capsules. Several studies have shown that IJs emerging from infected cadavers show superior migratory capability, infectivity, and persistence in soil when compared to IJs applied in aqueous suspension. This methodology has been efficacious against the guava weevil, Conotrachelus psidii, a major pest of guava in Brazil, as well as several other weevil pests in potted plants. In guava, IJs from the cadavers were detected for 6 weeks after application in the field, but decreased thereafter. Recently the temporal-spatial soil pattern of Heterorhabditis baujardi LPP7 IJs was established when applied as host cadavers under field conditions, starting from a point source, using two different host cadaver concentrations. The problems of achieving successful control using this strategy are discussed; the goal is to minimize costs and increase the success of IPM programmes for the growers.