Overwintering biology and extended diapause in Colorado potato beetle Principal Investigators

Project History. In 2008 differences in colonization patterns at several different locations throughout the Central Sands were observed. These different patterns may be indicating changes in when CPB emerges from diapause. Previous research on other insect pests has documented behavioral shifts in emergence as a way insects avoid environmental stressors. An insecticidal agent, such as in-plant neonicotinoids, may be considered an acute or chronic stressor on CPB. Since CPB in our region possesses a near obligate association to cultivated potato, insecticide use patterns must be considered as a contributing factor associated with changing beetle emergence. Population wide exposure to these compounds through the season may select for individuals which emerge later and are able to tolerate sub-lethal, in-plant doses of insecticide. Documentation of this process is essential to the continued sustainable use of the neonicotinoid class of insecticides.