Long-term retention of ice-nucleating active Pseudomonas fluorescens by overwintering Colorado potato beetles

Ice nucleating-active Pseudomonas fluorescens F264C was fed to Colorado pot ato beetles to determine bacterial retention in the beetle gut and its effe ct on the cold-hardiness of this insect pest. The bacterium was present in beetles recovered after overwintering in the field, seven months after thei r initial exposure to P. fluorescens. Retention was evident not only in the detection of the P. fluorescens ice nucleation gene, inaW, in bacterial cu ltures from beetle guts but also in the elevated supercooling points of som e of the treated beetles.