The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous species which attacks many economically important crops in several countries. This insect is an important pest of corn, and currently the most widely used control method is chemical. In order to minimize environmental impacts, other forms of control have been tried, and accordingly, the investigation of plants with insecticidal effects becomes relevant. Thus the present study was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of the ethanolic extract of Euphorbia pulcherrima (poinsettia) leaves in fall armyworm biology. Extracts were prepared from leaves of the plant E. pulcherrima collected at different phenological stages (vegetative and reproductive), oven dried, crushed and then solubilized in ethanol, yielding the ethanol extract. The extracts were set aside in 0.5 and 1% concentrations for each phenological stage of the plant, incorporated into an artificial diet and offered to the larvae of S. frugiperda. The extract of vegetative and reproductive phase of E. pulcherrima leaves in concentrations of 0.5 and 1%, has showed that it affected mortality in the larvae, increasing the larval period and reducing the weight of larvae and pupae and viability of the eggs of the caterpillars. Ethanolic extract of E. pulcherrima leaves in the reproductive phase of the plant is effective to reduce the S. frugiperda population.

Os cupins são insetos sociais da ordem Isoptera, com cerca de 2.900 espécies catalogadas no mundo. No Brasil, são várias as espécies de importância agrícola e florestal. Caracterizam-se por colônias complexas do ponto de vista social e estrutural, muitas vezes subterrâneas, o que dificulta o seu completo conhecimento. Diante deste fato, este trabalho teve como objetivo a manutenção de colônias de cupins com importância agrícola em laboratório, do gênero Nasutitermes, para determinar as condições necessárias ao seu desenvolvimento, incluindo preferências de forrageamento por diferentes partes de Paspalum notatum. Colônias jovens foram coletadas em campo para manutenção em laboratório, sob um sistema artificial com condições estruturais (abrigo) e ambientais (luz, temperatura, umidade relativa do ar) que buscaram ser as mais similares possíveis àquelas naturais. Diferentes partes de P. notatum foram oferecidos como opção alimentar, em teste com chance de escolha. Após estabelecimento da criação laboratorial e observação do forrageamento de colônias do cupim Nasutitermes sp, verificou-se a preferência por raiz, seguida de fragmentos em decomposição, folhas secas e frescas, equivalentemente. Verificou-se também sua adaptação à um sistema estrutural artificial composto por caixa central e caixa de alimentação, permitindo a manutenção das colônias por tempo mínimo de 5 meses. Palavras-chave: criação de cupins em laboratório; insetos sociais; pragas de gramíneas; pragas florestais; térmitas. FORAGING AND MAINTENANCE OF Nasutitermes sp COLONIES (ISOPTERA: Termitidae) IN LABORATORY ABSTRACTTermites are social insects of Isoptera order, with about 2,900 species cataloged in the world. In Brazil, there are several species of agricultural and forestry importance. They are characterized by complex colonies from the social and structural point of view, often subterranean, which hinders their complete knowledge. In view of this fact, this work had as objective the breeding of termite colonies with agricultural importance in the laboratory, of the genus Nasutitermes, to determine the necessary conditions for its development, including foraging preferences for different parts of Paspalum notatum. Young colonies were collected in field and kept in laboratory, in an artificial system with structural conditions (shelter) and environmental conditions (light, temperature, relative humidity) that sought to be the most similar to those natural ones. Different parts of P. notatum were offered as food option, in a test with a chance of choice. After establishing of laboratory rearing and observing the foraging of Nasutitermes spp. colonies, it was verified the preference of foraging by root, followed by decaying fragments, dry and fresh leaves, equivalently. It was also verified its adaptation to an artificial structural system composed of central box and feeding box, allowing the maintenance of the colonies for a minimum period of 5 months.