Oil-Soluble Black Dye in Larval Diet Marks Adults and Eggs of Tobacco Budworm and Pink Bollworm1234

Abstract

Oil Soluble Deep Black BB® dye incorporated in the larval diet of the tobacco budworm. Heliothis virescens (F.). and the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), marked the adults internally. Concentrations from 0.05 to 0.10% premixed with 0.30% cottonseed oil (COS) anti then mixed with the larval diet gave the best internal dull blue tag in the to bacco budworm; also, during the 1st 5 days of oviposition, eggs laid by female tobacco budworms fed 0.1% dye in 0.6% CSO were light blue. Pink bollworm moths were marked distinctly dull blue internally when the larvae were fed diet treated with 0.11% dye premixed in 0.70% COS. However this dye concentration, with or without 0.70% csa . reduced the percentage of female eclosion and overall hardiness. Moths were also marked internally when the larvae were fed diet treated with 0.05–0.08% dye premixed with 0.35% CSO. Also. blue eggs were laid during the 1st 4 days of oviposition by female pink bollworms reared from larvae fed a diet treated with 0.08–0.11% dye premixed with 0.35–0.70% CSO.