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Cutler, James; Rae, Robbie
Biocontrol science and technology, 06/2022, Volume: 32, Issue: 6Journal Article
Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita is a parasitic nematode of terrestrial gastropods that has been formulated into a successful biological control agent used on farms and gardens across Europe. There are reports of members of the Phasmarhabditis genus affecting the survival of non-target organisms under lab conditions e.g. earthworms. Therefore, we exposed two species of earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia hortensis) and insect (Galleria mellonella and Tenebrio molitor) to a range of doses of P. californica (0, 30 and 150 nematodes per cm2). P. californica did not affect earthworm or insect survival emphasising these nematodes are gastropod parasites that pose no risk to earthworms or insects (based on laboratory trials).
