INFLUENCE OF EUROPEAN CORN-BORER (LEPIDOPTERA, PYRALIDAE) DAMAGE TO POTATO AND FOLIAGE AVAILABILITY ON OVERWINTER SURVIVAL OF FIRST-GENERATION COLORADO POTATO BEETLE ADULTS (COLEOPTERA, CHRYSOMELIDAE) IN NORTH-CAROLINA

Survival of 1st-generation Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa deceml ineata (Say), adults following harvest of the Irish potato, Solanum tu berosum L., crop in late Tune was investigated in eastern North Caroli na. First-generation adults that emerge before harvest may have access to postbloom-stage potato plants injured by European corn borer, Ostr inia nubilalis (Hubner), whereas beetles that emerge after harvest may have access only to cull tubers. We tested the hypotheses that adult overwinter survival is positively correlated with the period 1st-gener ation adult beetles had fed on potato foliage and that feeding on corn borer-damaged plants affect overwinter survival of Ist-generation adu lts. Therefore, overwinter survival was examined after beetles were pr esented a continuous supply of potato tubers as the only source of foo d or were fed for 3, 7, 11-12, or 17 d on potato plants that were eith er damaged by the European corn borer or undamaged, and then were prov ided tubers. Feeding on corn borer-damaged plants did not affect overw inter survival of Ist-generation potato beetle adults (survival in 199 3: damaged, 15% and undamaged, 14%; 1994: damaged, 11% and undamaged, 9%). First-generation adults that had access to potato foliage in late June and early July had a significantly better chance of surviving ov erwinter and reproducing the following year compared with beetles that had access only to tubers. Overwinter survival of 1st-generation beet les that had only tubers as a host was 0 and 0.5% in 1993 and 1994, re spectively.