Susceptibility of Metamasius hemipterus sericeus (L.) (Coleoptera; Curculionidae) a native strain of entomopathogenic nematodes

Metamasius hemipterus sericeus (L.) is one of the most damaging insect cause to crops of bananas and plantains. Their control is limited to the employment of chemical products that are introduced in the soil where it inhabits. A possible means of control on this insect constitutes the entomopathogenic nematodes. Susceptibility of M. hemipterus sericeus L. was determined to the native strain CIAP-DEY-6 of Heterorhabditis sp. The insects were collected in fields of bananas during the months of December 2007 to May of the 2008 and subjected to a period of quarantine and fed with banana pseudostem. The experiments were carried out in the laboratory of Pathology of Insects of the Center of Agricultural Researchs (CIAP). They were placed (5 individuals) in Petri dishes of 18 cm diameter on a filter paper and inoculated with 10 000 nematodes/mL; being applied 3 mL by each dish. They were evaluated to the 5 and 10 days after the application. It had 20 replicates and a control. Underwent necropsy at 30% of the cadavers and verified the penetration of the juvenile infective. The traps type canoe captured 96.28% of M. hemipterus. The adults of M. hemipterus sericeus are susceptible to the native strain of entomopathogenic nematode CIAP-DEY-6. At 10 days killed to 100% of the adults of M. hemipterus sericeus.