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JOURNAL OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY, no.1, pp.151-162, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Pine processionary moths Thaumetopoea pityocampa and Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni are among the most harmful insects that cause severe damage to pine forests in many countries, including T & uuml;rkiye. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) isolates of Beauveria bassiana (PA-4 and KTU-24), Metarhizium anisopliae (KTU-51), and M. floviridae (AS-2) against the 2nd instar larvae of T. pityocampa and T. wilkinsoni under laboratory conditions. T. wilkinsoni eggs were collected pityocampa eggs were collected from Kahramanmara & scedil; province, T & uuml;rkiye, in 2021, and the 2nd instar larvae were used for the experiment. Four fungal isolates were sprayed on the larvae at 2 mL for each concentration (1 x 105 - 1 x 108 conidia mL-1). At a concentration of 1 x 108 conidia mL-1, mortality rates for T. pityocampa larvae were 55.6-100%, while mortality rates for T. wilkinsoni larvae were 56.8-100%. It was found that two isolates of B. bassiana were virulent for both T. pityocampa and T. wilkinsoni, and the KTU-24 isolate was the most virulent isolate, causing the lowest LC50 values (2.2 x 105 for T. pityocampa and 4.3 x 105 for T. wilkinsoni) and the shortest mean survival time for both larval species. It is suggested that the KTU-24 isolate can be used in the biological control of pine processionary moth species.