Rhabditis blumi, isolated from Exomala orientalis, is a necromenic type of nematode that possesses several attributes of a potential biological control agent such as ease in culture conditions, high rates of reproduction and virulence, short life cycle and rapid multiplication etc. Pathogenicity of R. blumi was tested against 5 coleopteran species and 5 lepidopteran species. All insect larvae were susceptible to R. blumi, showing over 60% mortality except for Holotrichia kiotoensis and Ectinohoplia rufipes. The highest mortality was observed in Plutella xylostella (88%), followed by Artogeia rapae, Exomala orientalis, Spodoptera litura and Anomala rufocuprea (over 70%). Reproductive capacity of R. blumi differed from each insect species, ranging from 17 to 656 dauer juveniles/mg of insect larva. Dauer juvenile production was most in Plutella xylostella larvae, producing 656 dauer juveniles/mg of host body weight, followed by E. orientalis, H. kiotoensis, and A. rapae larvae (over 100 dauer juvenile per mg).

• Hae Woong Park(Horticultural & Herbal Crop Environment Division, National Institute of Horticultural & Herbal Science)
• Hyeong Hwan Kim(Horticultural & Herbal Crop Environment Division, National Institute of Horticultural & Herbal Science)
• Myoung Rae Cho(Horticultural & Herbal Crop Environment Division, National Institute of Horticultural & Herbal Science)
• Taek Jun Kang(Department of Mosquito Control, Cape May Court House)
• Sung Jun Ahn(Department of Mosquito Control, Cape May Court House)
• Sung Wook Jeon(Department of Mosquito Control, Cape May Court House)
• Anwar L. Bilgrami(Department of Mosquito Control, Cape May Court House)