Elimination of Nosema in Galeruca rufa , 1 a Potential Biological Control Agent for Field Bindweed

Abstract
A protozoan disease caused by Nosema sp. was eliminated from a quarantine culture of Galeruca rufa Germar by segregation of adults and cohorts of progeny, by sanitation, and by destruction of all cohorts containing the pathogen. A significant reduction in egg production by diseased, versus healthy, adults revealed the debilitating effect of the disease. A brief review of weed-feeding insects known to have protozoan diseases is presented.