Description

Abstract: Survival and egg production data were collected for females of Spodoptera jrugiperda (J. E. Smith), fall armyworm; Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), corn earworm; and Elasmopalpus lignosellus Zeller, lesser cornstalk borer, maintained on one of eight adult diets, two honey solution diets, sucrose solution, Gatorade, three beer diets, and water. Moth performance on beer was either equal to or less than that on the other diets. Corn earworm, one of two species fed a premium beer diet performed better than those on a lower cost beer. The addition of ascorbic acid to beer or of yeast to honey, Generally did not influence moth performance. Moth performance was good on Gatorade, a moderately priced diet, and best on honey or sucrose diets. Consistently, moth survival was prolonged and egg production was high for moths on the low cost honey diet (8.4 days, 254 eggs per day, and 2375 eggs per female fall armyworm; 8.3 days, 241 eggs per day, and 1835 eggs per female corn earworm; 5.0 days, 26 eggs per day, and 122 eggs per female lesser cornstalk borer). Likewise, performance by the lesser cornstalk borer was good on sucrose, which is also a low cost diet.