FEEDING OF ADULT HELICOVERPA-ZEA (LEPIDOPTERA, NOCTUIDAE) ON DRY SUCROSE

Dry sucrose was evaluated for its potential as a feeding substrate for corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). This study is part of a large -scale effort to incorporate use of feeding attractants or stimulants for adults into programs to manage populations of H. tea on crops or o n an areawide basis. The ability of adult H. tea to feed on dry sugar was demonstrated in bioassays with milled, granulated [C-14] sucrose. We found that a liquid secreted by adults through the proboscis facili tated ingestion of dry sucrose. Because these tests also demonstrated that the liquid was not regurgitated from the crop, the only other pos sible source is the salivary glands. Thus, salivation is an important factor in ingestion of dry sugars by adult H. tea. The ability of adul t H. tea to feed on dry sugars is important in that it may simplify de velopment of formulations of attracticides that induce feeding because application of dry materials that incorporate feeding attractants or stimulants that will persist under field conditions may be simpler tha n applying materials in a liquid phase.