CONSEQUENCES OF FEEDING SITE SELECTION ON GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF YOUNG BLACKHEADED FIREWORM (LEPIDOPTERA, TORTRICIDAE)

Young blackheaded fireworm, Rhopobota naevana (Hubner), feed on old le aves or, when available, new leaves of cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpo n Aiton. In laboratory choice experiments, first-instar caterpillars p referred new leaves to old leaves regardless of temperature and photop eriod or generation of larvae. In no-choice tests, more larvae died be fore feeding (61.4%) when exploring dormant cuttings with only old lea ves than did those exploring growing cuttings (11.8%). Larvae continue d to reject old leaves and climb to the top of shoots even when depriv ed of food. Duration of the first stadium was 65% longer on overwinter ed leaves compared with young leaves. Survival of larvae in commercial cranberry marshes was 4.9 times greater after new shoot growth than s urvival of larvae hatched before new growth.