Farm Forestry New Zealand
PESTS AND DISEASES OF FORESTRY IN NEW ZEALAND
Rearing painted apple moth
From Forest Health News 112, October 2001.
A colony of the painted apple moth (Teia anartoides) has been established in the quarantine facility at Forest Research since the end of May. Its life support requirements have been adequately met by the standard artificial diet developed for gypsy moth and used for the white spotted tussock moth, which was successfully eradicated in the late 1990s. So far the colony has supplied female pupae for the live moth trapping programme, as well as basic pheromone extracts and male pupae for the identification of the moth's male-attracting pheromone. Both are pivotal in monitoring the moth population and evaluating the control measures, in the attempted eradication of this moth. First to fifth instar caterpillars from the colony were also used in efficacy tests of Btk (the biological insecticide to be used in the forthcoming targeted spray programme) and an alternative biological agent, 'spinosad'. The colony is now in continuous production mode and preparations are being made for the host testing of key indigenous and exotic forest tree species.
Nod Kay, Forest Research
NZFFA on facebook