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An Ecological Study of the Fall Webworm, Hyphantria Cunea (Drury), in Louisiana

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An Ecological Study of the Fall Webworm, Hyphantria Cunea (Drury), in Louisiana Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1963 An Ecological Study of the Fall Webworm, Hyphantria Cunea (Drury), in Louisiana. Abe Douglas Oliver Jr Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Oliver, Abe Douglas Jr, "An Ecological Study of the Fall Webworm, Hyphantria Cunea (Drury), in Louisiana." (1963). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 820. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/820 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This dissertation has been 63—6224 microfilmed exactly as received OLIVER, Jr., Abe Douglas, 1925- AN ECOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE FALL WEBWORM, HYPHANTRIA CUNEA (DRURY), IN LOUISIANA. Louisiana State University, Ph.D., 1963 Z oology University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan AN ECOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE FALL WEBtfORM, HYPHANTRIA CUNEA (DRURY), IN LOUISIANA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Zoology, Physiology and Entomology V? ^ by Abe Dp Oliver, Jr. M.S., Auburn University, 1954 January, 1963 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The writer wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to Dr. L. D. Newsom, Head o£ the Entomology Research Department, Professor of Entomology and Co-chairman of the Graduate Committee and Dr. J. Harvey Roberts, Professor of Entomology and Co-chairman of the Graduate Committee under whose supervision this study was conducted. Special thanks are due Dr. J. Harvey Roberts and Dr. H. B. Boudreaux for the photography and advice offered during the course of this investigation and for their criticism of the manuscript. The writer is grateful to Dr. Dan F. Clover, Associate Professor of Entomology, Louisiana State University, and Dr. Bryant A. Bateman, Professor of Forestry, Louisiana State University for their encouragement and criticism of the manuscript. The writer is also grateful to Dr. J. P. Woodring for the spider identifications and Mrs. Mary Jo. Poirier for editing and typing this dissertation. The help extended by these and all others during the course of this study is gratefully acknowledged. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENT............................................... ii TABLE OF CONTENTS . iii LIST OF TABLES ............................ .... vii LIST OF FIGURES. ...................................... xi ABSTRACT .............................................xiii INTRODUCTION ........................... .. I REVIEW OF LITERATURE. 3 History of the Fall Webworm ...... 3 Natural Enemies of the Fall Webworm. 6 Predation. ......... 6 Parasitism .... • . 8 Hyperparasitism . 9 Diseases .......... 10 Effects of Climatic Conditions on Fall Webworms. 10 Description and Life History of the Fall Webworm . , 10 The E g g ............................................... 10 Larvae . .12 Pupa. ....4..... 13 Adults . .......13 Number of Generations Each Year • . 1 8 Rearing Methods . .. 19 iii Page Host Plants 19 Behavior of the Fall Webworms ...... 20 METHODS AND MATERIALS ........ 22 Rearing Methods ........................ 22 Breeding Studies ......... 23 Comparison of the Two Races ...... 23 Virus Disease Study ........ 24 Study of Larval and Adult Behavior ..... 25 Biological Control Studies ...... 25 Host Plant Study . • • 26 RESULTS . 28 Biological Control ........ 28 Biological Control Factors ...... 28 Host Plants of the Fall Webworm ..... 44 Adult Activities ......... 50 Sex Ratio . 55 Biotic Potential ......... 55 External Larval Characteristics ..... 59 Nests ...........59 Hourly Activity of Each Larval Instar of the Two Races of Fall Webworms. ...... 60 Crosses. .......... 60 DISCUSSION............................................... 6 9 Biological Control Studies . 69 iv Page Spiders ..... 69 Birds ....... ... 70 Predacious Insects. 7 1 Parasitic Insects . 7 5 Hyperparasitism ........ 76 Diseases . 77 Weather .......... 79 Host Plants .......... 81 Larval Development on Various Hosts. .... 82 Adult Activities .........83 Sex Ratio .......... 85 Biotic Potential ......... 85 External Larval Characteristics ..... 86 Nests ........... 87 Hourly Activity of Each Instar of the Two Races of Fall Webworm . 88 Crosses. .......... 89 Adult Descriptions ........ 91 Defenses of Fall Webworms. • 92 SUMMARY . ............................................... 96 Biological Control ........ 96 Host Plants . « . 97 Adult Activities .........97 Sex Ratio . .~ . 98 Biotic Potential . • . ..98 v Page Larval Characteristics ....... 98 Crosses. 99 LITERATURE C I T E D ......................................... 101 APPENDIX ...................................................104 BIOGRAPHY................................................... 114 vi LIST OF TABLES Page I. Spiders collected from fall webworm nests in Louisiana, 1962 ....... 30 II. Predators, excluding spiders, and parasites of the fall webworm observed in Louisiana, 1961-1962 31 III. Per cent parasitism of fall webworm larvae collected in the study areas in 1962 . 32 IV. Hyperparasitism of the Hymenopteron webworm parasites in 1962 ....... 33 V. Infection of the two races of fall webworm by the granulosis virus, Bergoldeavirus kovachevici Schmidt, and the polyhedrosis virus, Borrelinavirus hyphantriae Machay and Lovas . 34 VI. Effect of a water suspension of macerated virus infected larvae upon the fall webworm . 35 VII. The stages of the life cycle of the fall webworm affected by various biological control agents in Louisiana during 1962. • . 36 VIII. Host plants of the fall webworm in Louisiana. 1961—1962 . 46 IX. Percentage of fall webworm nests on the various hosts for each generation during 1962 . .. 47 vii The effect of host plants on the average time in days of each larval stadium for 10 larvae of each race ..... XI. The effect of different host plants on the average weight in milligrams of 10 larvae of each race .... XII. Hourly emergence of 200 adult fall webworms for each of three generations in 1962 . XIII. Approximate time in hours of various adult activities from emergence to death of 10 pairs of moths . .' . XIV. Number of eggs and per cent hatched of 25 egg clusters of each race of the fall webworm • XV. A comparison of oviposition and early larval feeding characteristics of the two races of fall webworms in Louisiana, 1962 . XVI. Sex ratio of the two races of fall webworm in Louisiana ........ XVII. The theoretical biotic potential of the two races of fall webworm for one year with and without the calculated per cent of biological control .... • . • . XVIII. The average head capsule diameter in millimeters of 40 larvae in each instar of the two races of fall webworms in Louisiana. viii Page XIX. External characteristics of fall webworm larvae. ......... 63 XX. Comparison of nest characteristics of 25 colonies of each race on a common host - sweetgum ......... 64 XXI. Crosses of fall webworm made in two generations where 00 designates the orange race and BB the black race ....... 68 XXII. Field population reduction of the orange race of fall webworm by biological control factors as indicated by weekly observations of marked nests. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1962 . 104 XXIII. Field population reduction of the black race of fall webworm by biological control factors as indicated by weekly observations of marked nests. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1962 . • 105 XXIV. Field population reduction of the black race of fall webworm by biological control factors as indicated by weekly observations of marked nests. Clinton, Louisiana, 1962 .... 106 XXV. Field population reduction of the black race of fall webworm by biological control factors as indicated by weekly observations of marked nests. Mandeville, Louisiana, 1962 . 107 ix Page XXVI. Field population reduction of the orange race of fall webvorm by biological control factors as indicated by weekly observations of marked nests. Krotz Springs, Louisiana, 1962 . 108 XXVII. Field population reduction of the black race of-fall webworm by biological control factors as indicated by weekly observations of marked nests. Krotz Spring, Louisiana, 1962 . 109 XXVIII. Field population reduction of the orange race of fall webworm by biological control factors as indicated by weekly observations of marked nests. Simmesport, Louisiana, 1962 . • . 110 XXIX. Field population reduction of the black race of fall webworm by biological control factors as indicated by weekly observations of marked nests. Simmesport, Louisiana, 1962 . Ill XXX. Field population reduction of the orange race of fall webworm by biological control factors as indicated by weekly observations of marked nests. St. Joseph, Louisiana, 1962 . 112 XXXI. Field population reduction of the orange race of fall webworm by biological control factors as indicated by weekly observations of marked nests. Columbia, Louisiana, 1962 .... 113 x LIST OF FIGURES • Page 1. Map of Louisiana indicating the seven areas where biological control studies were conducted. 27 2. Average percentage survival of the orange race larvae for each of the three generations in 1962 37 3. Average percentage survival of the black race
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