Major Factors in Survival of the Immature Stages of <i>Pieris rapae</i> (L.)

Abstract

Abstract Detailed studies on the population dynamics of the imported cabbageworm, Pieris rapae (L.), have been carried out at Merivale, Ontario, since 1959. A method for preparing life tables is described and a mean life table is presented for 18 generations of the species on cabbage. Population data for the preadult period show that there are three age intervals during which extensive mortality may occur: (1) between hatching and the second moult, (2) instars three to five, and (3) during the pupal stage. The analysis of successive age-interval survivals in relation to generation survival showed that the latter is largely determined by the survival rate for (2). Examination of the life tables revealed that a granulosis of the larvae caused by a capsule virus is the key factor in generation survival. Major mortality factors include rainfall and parasites.