Efficacy of the nematode, Heterorhabditis heliothidis

A suspension of Heterorhabditis heliothidis Khan, Brooks and Kirschmann, sprayed in mid-June onto the trunks of peach trees infested with peachtree borer (PTB) Synanthedon exitiosa (Say) larvae significantly (P <.05) reduced the numbers of PTB adults that ec10sed from the feeding tunnels. Injections of nematode suspensions into and on the outside of active PTB tunnels did not reduce the number of emerging PTB adults to a level significantly (P <.05) lower than those emerging in the control cages. The study also confirms that the larvae of the peachtree borer require up to 2 years to complete development in stone fruit trees in the southern interior of British Columbia