Survival of larval winter moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in field and laboratory studies

Survival of Larval Winter Moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in Field and Laboratory Studies

Adam Pepi and Joseph Elkinton

   Winter moth (Operophtera brumata) larval survival was studied in the laboratory and the field

to determine causes of mortality, and the relationship between survival and density. In the laboratory,

varying numbers of eggs were placed in cups on bursting apple (Malus domestica), red maple (Acer

rubrum), and red oak (Quercus rubra) buds, and survival over time was measured. In the field,

samples were collected weekly from 5 apple, 11 red maple, and 13 red oak trees in eastern

Massachusetts, and densities were recorded.  Evidence of density dependent survival was

found, primarily due to dispersal.