Biological control of subterranean termites (Psammotermes hypostoma ) by entomopathogenic fungi

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 1Department of plant protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt

2 2Department of Botany (Microbiology), Faculty of Agriculture, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt

3 Department of plant protection, Faculty of Agriculture, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt

4 Department of physics, Faculty of science, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt

Abstract

This study is conducted to determine the effect of entomopathogenic fungi Metarhiziuim anisopliae ( M. ani), Beauveria bassiana (B.bas) and Aspergillus niger (A.niger) in some aspects subterrenene termites life under laboratory and field conditions . After one week of treatment there was significate difference among concentrate 4×106 and concentrates 2×106 and 1×106 but no significate difference among concentrates 2×106 and 1×106 of all treatments. In addition to there was significant difference among M.anisopliae and other fungi B.bassiana (Ballsamo) and A.niger, The fungi M.ansiopliae more effectiveness than B.bassiana and A.niger which the mortality rates were 22.5%, 15.0% and 13.3% to M.ansiopliae , B.bassiana and A.niger respectively. The LC50 for three fungi were 3.278×106, 4.6526×106 and 5.4982×106 for M.anisopliae, B.bassiana and A.niger, respectively. The higher concentrations 2×106spores/ml and 4×106 spores/ml the reduction percentages were 25.93, 19.43 and 11, 85% for 2×106 spores/ml and 61.52, 35.54 and 20.06% at 4×106 spores/ml for A.niger, B.bassiana and M.anisopliae, respectively . The run-down in the reduction % in treated traps with M. anisopliae concentrations of may be due to this reason. The reduction percentages for trap treated with concentrations of A. niger were height due to not attack by workers, due to the fungi A. niger has a repellent or an antipathetic effect to worker.

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