抄録
Heptophylla picea larvae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are serious pests of tea fields in Japan. To control H. picea larvae with the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria amorpha (Strain: HpBa-1), we studied H. picea larval ecology and properties of HpBa-1 under low temperature conditions. The amount of food consumed by H. picea larvae at 10°C was not significantly different from that at 20°C. Therefore it is necessary to control H. picea larvae before winter (soil temperatures: below 10°C) to suppress damage to tea roots during the winter. The best temperatures for HpBa-1 growth were 20°C and 25°C, but the fungus can grow under 15°C. During October and November (soil temperatures: above 15°C), H. picea larvae moved to the soil surface (0–10 cm) from a depth of 20–30 cm. It is possible to control H. picea larvae by soil surface application of B. amorpha at this time. H. picea larvae seem to be infected and controlled effectively by applying HpBa-1 between October and November.
