A bacterium discovered by US Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists that is toxic to potato beetles has also been found to be toxic in varying degrees to gypsy moth and small hive beetle.
Scientists at the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory in Colorado discovered the new bacterial species, Chromobacterium suttsuga.
The findings are published in the May issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.
Fifty percent of small hive beetles died within five days when fed a pollen-based diet containing the bacteria, and the survivors weighed only 10 percent as much as small hive beetles that weren't exposed to the bacteria. Gypsy moths weren't killed by the bacteria, but their weights were drastically reduced. Those moths eating the bacteria weighed 40 percent less than gypsy moths that weren't fed the bacteria.
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