Bioassays for detection of the entomopathogenic fungus Entomophaga maimaiga (Entomophtorales: Entomophtoraceae) in soil from different sites in Bulgaria

Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispap; larvae were exposed to soil extracted from 16 sites in Bulgaria where natural gypsy moth populations occur. Azygospores of E. maimaiga were produced in larvae exposed to 11 of the soil samples. Host mortality caused by the fungus varied between 3.3 and 43.3textbackslash%. The percentage of larvae that died from unknown causes ranged from 3.3 to 66.7textbackslash%. The results of this study show that the fungal pathogen is widely distributed in Bulgaria and is persisting in sites where epizootics have occurred, a precondition for successful and sustainable control of Lymantria dispar.vphantom