Beauveria bassiana can be used as a biological insecticide to control a number of pests such as termites, whiteflies, and many other insects.
As an insecticide, the spores are sprayed on affected crops as an emulsified suspension or wettable powder as a control agent. The insect disease caused by the fungus is a muscardine which has been called white muscardine disease. When the microscopic spores of the fungus come into contact with the body of an insect host, they germinate, penetrate the cuticle, and grow inside, killing the insect within a matter of days. Afterwards, a white mold emerges from the cadaver and produces new spores. A typical isolate of B. bassiana can attack a broad range of insects. |