Long-term reduction of cold hardiness following ingestion of ice-nucleating bacteria in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata.

We investigated the effect of ingestion of ice-nucleating bacteria on the supercooling capacity and cold hardiness of the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say), a freeze-intolerant species that overwinters as adults in shallow, terrestrial burrows. Ingestion of ice-nucleating bacteria (Enterobacter agglomerans, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas syringae), fed on slices of potato tuber, caused an abrupt decrease in supercooling capacity. No change occurred in the supercooling capacity of beetles fed Escherichia coli, as this species lacks ice-nucleating activity. Ingestion rates showed that tubers treated with different species were equally palatable. During diapause induction beetles evacuated food from their guts, but nevertheless retained sufficient ice-nucleating bacteria to diminish supercooling. Beetles fed P. fluorescens and P. putida exhibited reduced supercooling even after an 8-wk exposure to simulated winter conditions. Furthermore, P. fluorescens was isolated 10-wk post-ingestion from diapausing beetles. Our data suggest that ingested bacteria may be retained by insects during entry into diapause and that the cold hardiness of candidate crop pests, such as L. decemlineata, may be reduced by feeding them ice-nucleating bacteria prior to winter diapause.