Comparison of the Galleria baiting technique and a direct extraction method for recovering Steinernema (Nematoda : Rhabditida) infective-stage juveniles from soil

Forty soil samples from forests and other biotopes in Germany and the Czech Republic were studied for the presence of entomopathogenic nematodes using the Galleria bait method at the same time as a sieving-decanting method fo r direct extraction of infective-stage juveniles. Five Steinernema species were recovered from the samples from Germany and four species from the samp les from Czechia. Ail five species were recovered with both methods, but th e baiting technique was generally less effective and mixtures of species we re frequently undetected. The direct extraction method provided quantitativ e estimates of infective-stage juvenile density but no information on their infectivity or on morphological characters of adults, and nematode culture s could not be established.