Insecticidal Activity of Strains on the Nettle Caterpillar, (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae).

In the present work, we evaluated the insecticidal activity of () strains on as an alternative for the organophosphate insecticide use in oil palm plantations in the Americas. The toxic effects of four -strains (HD-1 var. , SA-12 var. , ABTS-1857 var. , and GC-91 var. ) were evaluated against caterpillars for toxicity, survival, anti-feeding, and mortality in field-controlled conditions. The -strains, ABTS-1857 var. (LC = 0.84 mg mL), GC-91 var. (LC = 1.13 mg mL), and HD-1 var. (LC = 1.25 mg mL), were the most toxic to . The caterpillar survival was 99% without exposure to -strains, and decreased to 52-23% in insects treated with the LC and 10-1% in insects exposed to LC after 48 h. Furthermore, -strains decreased significantly the consumption of oil palm leaves of 3 h after exposure. Mortality of caterpillars caused by -strains had similar lethal effects in the laboratory and in field conditions. Our data suggest that -strains have insecticidal activity against and, therefore, have potential applications in oil palm pest management schemes.