Biological Observations on Coleomegilla maculata and Its Role as a Predator of the Fall Webworm1

Under laboratory conditions, overwintered adults of Coleomegilla maculata De Geer lived an average of 61.9 days (range 4-139) after they were collected from the field when held at a constant temperature of 26.7°C and 14 hours light. The females deposited an average of 49.8 eggs when fed liver. In the laboratory and field both larvae and adults of C. maculata readily fed on egg masses of fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury). Adults fed on the larvae of the fall webworm but the larvae would not. Development of C. maculata was more rapid when fed eggs of the fall webworm, or its own eggs, than when fed liver.