Oviposition is used in entomology to describe laying eggs. Spider mites lay their eggs in a webbing usually found on the underside of foliage.
Microbial products used to fight disease, insects, and mites have been suggested to change the chemicals plants release. These chemicals can change the behavior of insect predators, as attractants or deterrents. Part of my thesis is to determine if female Twospotted Spider Mites have any change in their egg laying behavior on pepper plants treated with four common microbial products.
Method:
Twospotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae) oviposition on plant leaf disks: A 1.5 cm leaf disk from each plant will be sampled with 10 replicates per treatment. Two female spider mites will be placed on each leaf disk placed on moist floral foam and left in an incubator at 25°C for a 24-h period. The number of eggs laid on each leaf disk will be counted using a dissecting microscope. Oviposition acceptance by mites will be evaluated at 2 and 12 day post treatment with microbial products.
Comments