An 8-point visual index was developed for Oil Red O staining of neutral lipids in infective juveniles (IJs) of Steinernema carpocapsae (A11), S. riobravis (Biosys 355), S. feltiae (UK76) and S. glaseri (NC). The visual index was found to be a reliable and rapid method for determining the relative neutral lipid content of individual IJs and was validated quantitatively by gas chromatography. The relationship between neutral lipid utilization and infectivity of IJs stored in distilled water at 25 degrees C was also investigated and the first quantitative results on neutral lipid utilization in entomopathogenic nematodes are reported. Neutral lipid contents of freshly harvested IJs of S. carpocapsae, S. riobravis. S. feltiae and S. glaseri were 31, 31, 24 and 26% dry wt, respectively. Steinernema carpocapsae showed a sigmoidal pattern for neutral lipid utilization while S. riobravis used neutral lipids at an almost constant rate. Survivorship of these two species ranged between 120 and 135 days, whereas S. feltiae and S. glaseri lived > 450 days and had a slower rate of lipid utilization during a 260 day storage period. Oil Red O staining showed that individual IJs in each population utilized lipids at different rates, even though they had the same initial lipid index. The infectivity of S. riobravis, S. feltiae and S. glaseri declined with lipid utilization. In contrast, S. carpocapsae maintained a high level of infectivity even at relatively low lipid levels. Therefore, neutral lipid content was found to be a suitable indicator of infectivity for S. riobravis, S. feltiae and S. glaseri but not for S. carpocapsae.