Side effects of flonicamide and pymetrozine on five aphid natural enemy species

The effects of flonicamide and pymetrozine, on inert and natural substrates, on the rove beetle Aleochara bilineata (Gyll.), the parasitic wasp Aphidius rhopalosiphi (DeStefani-Perez), the ladybird Adalia bipunctata (L.), the carabid beetle Bembidion lampros (Herbst), and the hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus (DeGeer) were assessed in the laboratory. Deltamethrin and pirimicarb were also tested as toxic reference compounds. The results indicated high selectivity of flonicamide and pymetrozine for all the species tested. No significant effects on B. lampros and A. bilineata were recorded for sand or on E. balteatus for plants. Pymetrozine on inert substrates had no effects on A. bipunctata larvae, whereas flonicamid was slightly toxic on glass plates but harmless on plants. Both compounds were toxic to adult A. rhopalosiphi on glass plates and on plants in the laboratory, but no effects were observed on plants treated in the field. In comparison, the toxic reference products were always more toxic. Compared with classical insecticides tested on the same species using similar methods, flonicamide and pymetrozine seem to be promising insecticides for aphid control in terms of selectivity for aphid antagonists.