Occurrence of Baculovirus in Natural Population of Oryctes rhinoceros (L.) in Andhra Pradesh

One hundred and sixty Oryctes rhinoceros (L.) beetles, collected from 30 villages of Godavari districts of Andhra Prasesh were screened for baculovtrus disease. Examination of gross morphology of midgut and giemsa-stained smears of midgut aspirates and squash showed typical symptoms of baculovirus infection in 53.1% beetles. Similarly, O. rhinoceros grubs from 14.0% breeding sites in Gudapalli village and 20.0% breeding sites in Allavaram village showed the disease symptoms with 8.4% and 4.0% grub infection respectively. Present survey reveals the presence of Oryctes baculovirus in Andhra Pradesh.