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Pests > Pest Management > Chemical control > “Soft” insecticides > Bt, Maruca testularis, Am Samoa
July 2006. American Samoa asked about the control of Maruca testulalis (now known as M. vitrata), especially with insecticides that are US EPA registered.
Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki was suggested as an alternative to synthetic chemicals, and there are a number of non-chemical treatments on the Internet, e.g.:
It was pointed that that this insect is difficult to control with insecticides as the larvae live inside young legume pods. Apart from some hymenopterous parasitoids, the best bet for control may lie in finding an attractant for the moth.
