Elimination of Nosema in Galeruca rufa, a potential biological control agent for field bindweed [Convolvulus arvensis]

A protozoan disease caused by Nosema sp. was eliminated from a quarantine culture of Galeruca rufa Germar (Coleoptera) by segregation of adult and cohorts of progeny, by sanitation, and by destruction of all cohorts containing the pathogen. A significant reduction in egg production by diseased, versus healthy, adults revealed the debilitating effect of the disease. A brief review of weed-feeding insects known to have protozoan diseases is presented.