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

The post application survival of infective juveniles of Steinernema and Heterorhabditis species will depend on the environment in which the infective juveniles (IJs) are applied, available moisture and the ambient temperature at the time of application. Restricting application to soil and cryptic habitats when temperatures are favorable for the nematode species will enhance activity and survival of IJs. Moisture can be maintained in these habitats in a variety of ways including pre- post application irrigation, use of humectants and mulches. Mulch that is wetted before and after application has provided one of the best methods for maximizing survival and insecticidal activity for control of a variety of insects in soil and leaf litter habitats. Moisture maintenance in other cryptic habitats is more challenging. For example, the treatment of fruit bins to control diapausing codling moth was achieved by dunking the bins in a suspension of IJs to which a wetting agent and a humectant were added.