USE OF A SURROGATE STEM FOR ELICITING OVIPOSITIONAL RESPONSE OF BUSSEOLA-FUSCA (LEPIDOPTERA, NOCTUIDAE)

A surrogate stem made of wax paper elicited optimum ovipositional resp onse from Busseola fusca (Fuller). It closely resembled a maize stem w ith intact leafsheaths, which provided physical stimuli necessary for B. fusca egg laying, and facilitated quick recovery of eggs. B. fusca females readily inserted their ovipositors into spaces between the sur rogate stem and leafsheaths and laid eggs in linear rows. In both choi ce or no-choice ovipositional tests, gravid females laid equal or high er numbers of eggs on the surrogate stems than on susceptible INB-A ma ize stems. The method has facilitated the mass rearing of B. fusca and bioassays of plant allelochemicals to the insect ovipositional respon se.