EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND EXPOSURE TIME ON TOXICITY OF BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS BERLINER SPRAY DEPOSITS TO SPRUCE BUDWORM, CHORISTONEURA FUMIFERANA CLEMENS (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE)

Abstract

Experiments were conducted using balsam fir twigs treated with Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner to examine the influence of temperature and exposure time on mortality of spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens. Twigs were sprayed with a commercial formulation (8.4 BIU/L) using droplets of 40–70 μm diameter at densities, ranging from 0.5 to 5.5 droplets per needle. Temperature affected progression but not the level of cumulative mortality during 14 days of feeding on sprayed foliage. The LT₅₀ decreased from 12–17 days at 13°C to 2–4 days at 25°C, depending on droplet density. Temperature between 13 and 25°C had a limited effect on dose acquisition because 40–60% of the larvae were able to acquire a lethal dose within 1 day of feeding on foliage with 0.5–1.5 droplets per needle, regardless of temperature. Under these conditions dose acquisition was not limited by temperature-dependent consumption of foliage, but rather by feeding inhibition associated with the dose initially ingested. This also limited the influence of exposure time; a 7- or 14-fold increase in exposure time increased larval mortality at most by 25%. Implications of these findings for improving efficacy of B. thuringiensis in forestry applications are discussed.