HOLDING CAPABILITY OF THE COLORADO POTATO BEETLE TO POTATO LEAVES ANDPLASTIC SURFACES

Commercial vacuum insect collectors have been developed to control pes ts in crops. Recent studies suggest that a significant number of Color ado potato beetles remain attached to the plant after a single pass of the machine. This study examines the force required to remove the bee tle from a potato leaf. The adults and fourth, third, and second insta r larvae were included in the study. The results suggest that a force of up to 40 mN is required to remove the adult from a leaf and up to 3 0 mN to remove a fourth instar larva. The third and second instar larv ae exhibited a significantly lower removal force of up to 10 mN. The r emoval force of the larvae depended on whether the larvae held to the leaf with their tarsi or mandibles.