DESICCATION SURVIVAL OF THE INFECTIVE LARVAE OF THE INSECT PARASITIC NEMATODE, HETERORHABDITIS-ZEALANDICA POINAR

Desiccation survival of the insect parasitic nematode Heterorhabditis zealandica upon exposure to various relative humidities on membrane fi lters and agar plates was determined. Survival was poor once water had been lost from the substrate. A screening experiment indicates that s urvival would not be improved by adjusting the treatment temperature, the source of the infective larvae, the method of rehydration or the a ddition of trehalose. Desiccation does not, therefore, appear to be a promising option for the long-term storage of these nematodes.