Egg adhesion of the codling moth Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) to synthetic substrates
Data files
Nov 03, 2025 version files 8.45 KB
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Al_Bitar_et_al._2025_rough_data_egg_pull-off_force_on_glass.csv
3.76 KB
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Al_Bitar_et_al._2025_rough_data_egg_pull-off_force_on_plastic.csv
445 B
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Al_Bitar_et_al._2025_rough_data_fecundity.csv
319 B
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Al_Bitar_et_al._2025_rough_data_glass_contact_angle.csv
658 B
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Al_Bitar_et_al._2025_rough_data_glass_surface_free_energy.csv
277 B
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README.md
2.98 KB
Abstract
Previous studies on Cydia pomonella eggs have demonstrated reliable egg adhesion to the leaves and fruits of various apple cultivars. In contrast to biological substrates, this study focuses on standardized synthetic substrates to measure egg pull-off forces and determine adhesive strength, allowing for an unbiased comparison with other, previously studied organisms. Analyses using various microscopy techniques and white light interferometry at the interface between egg adhesive secretion and substrate helped to interpret the data.
The results showed that codling moth eggs adhered more strongly to smooth, high-surface-energy substrates (such as hydrophilic glass) compared to low-surface-energy ones, achieving adhesive strengths of 138 kPa on hydrophilic surfaces and 22 kPa on hydrophobic ones. Correspondingly, the surface wetting by the adhesive egg secretion and egg contact area were both larger on hydrophilic than on hydrophobic glass, measuring 1.8 and 1.4 mm2, respectively. The adhesive layer was found to be remarkably thin, measuring only 10 nm on hydrophilic glass and 153 nm on hydrophobic glass.
Egg adhesion to hydrophobic glass aligns with the conditions found on the waxy surfaces of apple host plants, although mechanical interlocking can be ignored on the smooth glass. The pull-off forces required to detach eggs from substrates corresponded to 313,053 times the egg weight on hydrophobic glass and 2,442,220 times the egg weight on hydrophilic glass.
We suggest that in an ecological context, the optimal egg adhesion, which can resist environmental impacts, is more crucial than the maximum bond strength. The consistency, surface wetting, speed of the hardening process, and adhesive potential of the egg secretion may inspire further developments in codling moth control and the synthesis of biomimetic adhesives.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.dncjsxmbj
Description of the data and file structure
- ROUGH DATA -
Al_Bitar_et_al._2025_rough_data_egg_pull-off_force_on_glass.csv
Column A. run number: number of test runs.
Column B. glass surface: hydrophilic and hydrophobic glass surface = substrate.
Column C. (pre)load [mN]
Column D. pull-off force [mN] required to remove an egg from the substrate: pull-off force required to detach 24-h aged eggs from hydrophobic and hydrophilic glass.
Al_Bitar_et_al._2025_rough_data_egg_pull-off_force_on_plastic.csv
Column A. run number: number of test runs.
Column B. egg age: age of egg after oviposition.
Column C. pull-off force [mN] required to remove an egg from the substrate: pull-off forces required to detach < 24-hours and > 24-hours aged eggs from plastic foil.
Al_Bitar_et_al._2025_rough_data_fecundity.csv
Column A. surface roughness [µm]: Spurr resin surfaces with asperity sizes (roughnesses) of 0.3, 1, 3, 9, 12 µm used for ovipostion substrates.
Column B. repetition: four samples counted per each substrate.
Column C. eggs per female/12 h [number of eggs]: number of eggs per female Cydia pomonella laid within 12 h on rough Spurr resin surfaces; the larger the surface asperity size, the rougher the substrate.
Al_Bitar_et_al._2025_rough_data_glass_contact_angle.csv
Column A. fluid: Type of fluid used for contact angle measurements of 1-µl droplets.
Column B. repetition: three droplets measured per each substrate type.
Column C. glass surface: hydrophilic and hydrophobic glass surface = substrate.
Column D. contact angles of 1-µl fluid droplets [°]: contact angles of 1-µl fluid droplets on the glass substrates; see protocols for contact angle and surface energy measurements on apple surfaces (Al Bitar et al. 2012, 2014 in the manuscript’s reference list).
Al_Bitar_et_al._2025_rough_data_glass_surface_free_energy.csv
Column A. glass surface physico-chemical properties: physico-chemical properties (contact angles [°] and free surface energy [mN/m] with dispersed and polar compounds [mN/m]) of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic glass substrates; derived from ‚Al Bitar et al. 2025_rough data_glass contact angle.csv‘.
Column B. hydrophilic: hydrophilic glass.
Column C. hydrophobic: hydrophobic glass.
Code/software
csv files obtained from Excel software
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- Supplement to the Publication on the webpage of Journal of Applied Entomoloty
Data was derived from the following sources:
- experimental approaches described in the corresponding article: Al Bitar (2025) Egg adhesion of the codling moth Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) to synthetic substrates. Journal of Applied Entomology