Adaptation of a Dry Diet for Adults of the Western Corn Rootworm1

Abstract
A dry diet used routinely for maintenance of adults of the southern corn rootworm, Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber, was altered for use with western corn rootworm, D. virgifera LeConte, adults. The alteration was accomplished by ball milling the diet to a fine powder and then either forming it into a pellet or texturizing it. Longevity of western corn rootworm adults on the dry diet was some what reduced compared to those on a diet of fresh com leaves, but fecundity was not significantly affected. Tests with various oviposition schemes indicated that the western corn rootworm adult preferred to oviposit at a coveredsite either in soil or moist gauze.

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