Nosema locustae

Nosema locustae is a microsporidium fungus that is used to kill grasshoppers, caterpillars, some corn borers and crickets.[1]

Nosema locustae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Fungi
Division:
Microsporidia
Class:
Dihaplophasea
Order:
Dissociodihaplophasida
Family:
Nosematidae
Genus:
Nosema
Species:
N. locustae
Binomial name
Nosema locustae
Canning, 1953

Effects on grasshoppers

When consumed, N. locustae affects the digestive system of a grasshopper through a buildup in the gut, eventually killing it by creating lethargy and a lack of appetite;[2] it is also transferable from a deceased infected grasshopper that is consumed.[3] In a study done at Linköping University using N. locustae and a central Ethiopian grasshopper species, 55% of the grasshoppers that were not inoculated reached adulthood, while only 19% of the ones that were inoculated did.[4]

Farm Application

The spores are typically applied to a carrier, usually wheat bran, and can be spread through the use of a variety of devices. Typical application is one pound per acre, at a rate of 1 billion plus spores.[5]

References
  1. Vega, Fernando E.; Kaya, Harry K., eds. (2012). Insect Pathology (2nd ed.). Academic Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-12-384984-7.
  2. http://www.goodbug.com/nolobait.html
  3. "Nosema Locustae (117001) Fact Sheet" (PDF). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. October 2000. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
  4. Habtewold, T.; Landin, J.; Wennergen, U.; Bergman, K.O. (December 1995). "Life Table for the Tef Grasshopper, Aiolopus longicornis, under Laboratory Conditions and Demographic Effects of the Pathogen Nosema locustae". Biological Control. 5 (4): 497–502. doi:10.1006/bcon.1995.1059.
  5. http://www.goodbug.com/nolobait.html
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