Bacillus thuringiensisSubspeciesKurstakiReduces Competition byParapoynx diminutalis(Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in Colonies of the Hydrilla Biological Control AgentCricotopus lebetis(Diptera: Chironomidae)

Influence of competition and predation on survival of the hydrilla tip mining midge and its success as a potential augmentative biological control agent of hydrilla

“…Although the number of tips with general damage was slightly elevated in the treatments with moths, the differences were not significant when compared with treatments without moths. This was a surprising result as P. diminutalis is known to actively consume hydrilla (Buckingham & Bennett, 1996), and defoliation of hydrilla by the moth can occur over a similar time frame (19 days) in the laboratory setting (Baniszewski et al, 2016b).…”

“…However, its origin (native or exotic) is not known to date despite morphological and genetic typing studies (Epler et al, 2000;Gresens et al, 2017). The life history of C. lebetis and its impact on hydrilla have been studied in the field and laboratory by the University of Florida's Entomology and Nematology Department, finding that the midge is an effective augmentative biological control agent (Cuda et al, 2002(Cuda et al, , 2011(Cuda et al, , 2016Stratman et al, 2013aStratman et al, , b, 2014Baniszewski et al, 2015Baniszewski et al, , 2016bBaniszewski et al, , 2020Mitchell et al, 2018).…”

“…The adventive hydrilla leafcutter moth (Parapoynx diminutalis Snellen, 1880; Lepidoptera: Crambidae) was found in Florida in 1976(Del Fosse et al, 1976. Although a generalist, and therefore not a good candidate for biological control of hydrilla (Buckingham & Bennett, 1989), P. diminutalis feeds heavily on hydrilla, and competition between the two species for food has been observed in the laboratory and in the field (Baniszewski et al, 2016b). Severe defoliation due to P. diminutalis has been observed, resulting in the loss of all vegetative tissue except for the stems, which has negative effects on C. lebetis in colony situations (Weeks, pers.…”

Cricotopus lebetis Intraspecific Competition and Damage to Hydrilla

“…Since its discovery, C. lebetis has been evaluated for its potential as an augmentative biological control agent for hydrilla . Previous studies have focused on biology and impact (Cuda et al 2002(Cuda et al , 2011, host range and searching behavior (Stratman et al 2013b), distribution based on temperature (Stratman et al 2014), colony rearing techniques (Cuda et al 2002;Stratman et al 2014;Baniszewski et al 2015Baniszewski et al , 2016Mitchell et al 2018), and its compatibility with chemical control .…”