DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjavs.2025.v12i12.001

Pages: 330-335

The in vitro entomopathogenic activity of the fungus Beauveria bassiana against larvae, prepupae, pupae, and adults of Cochliomyia hominivorax (ghost fly) was evaluated. A completely randomized design with five treatments and four replicates (n = 100 insects per replicate) was used. Treatments included direct inoculation of larvae, inoculation of the substrate (sawdust or absorbent paper), uninoculated control, and exposure of adults. All treatments with B. bassiana at a concentration of 1 × 10¹² conidia/mL achieved 100% mortality. The mean lethal times (TL₅₀) were: 36 h (T4: inoculated absorbent paper), 48 h (T5: adults), 96 h (T2: directly inoculated larvae), and 120 h (T1: inoculated sawdust). The control showed only 0.03% mortality. The results demonstrate the high virulence of B. bassiana at all stages evaluated, with larval exposure on absorbent paper being the fastest method. It is recommended to proceed to in vivo and field trials to validate its use in integrated pest management programs.