Project Number: 1275-22000-235-04
Project Type: Trust

Start Date: Jan 01, 2005
End Date: Dec 31, 2009

Objective:
Investigate and develop diets of the predatory lady beetle Coleomegilla maculata, both to gain a better understanding of its role and value as a biological control agent in agroecosystems, and to determine methods for better rearing this species in the lab, as a representative insect predator to test the nontarget effects of potential toxins on its growth, development, and fecundity.

Approach:
We are assessing the development of the predator C. maculata on a variety of diets, including pollen, moth and beetle eggs, and other insect prey, and synthetic standard diets under development. Both parties are actively engaged in independent projects which assess the role of this predator in laboratory and field studies relating to agricultural crops. Insect Biocontrol Laboratory maintains a colony of this species and provides Monsanto with 200 or more eggs per week to allow Monsanto's development of in vitro rearing and bioassay methodologies. Insect Biocontrol Lab is also using the colony for development of molecular markers in field and lab behavior and ecology studies under the project #1275-22000-235-00D, Biorational technologies for management of chrysomelid beetle pests of agricultural crops.