Effect of Aphid Control using Flonicamid on Orius spp. Population on Zucchini

Abstract

Flonicamid is an insecticide with selective activity against sucking bug pests such as aphids. We evaluated the effect of flonicamid on Orius spp., a natural enemy preying on various small insect pests including aphids, on zucchini cultivated at an open field in Kawasaki City, Japan. We also sprayed dinotefuran, that has a broad-spectrum, for comparison. These insecticides were applied once after planting of seedlings and again after the first occurrence of Orius spp. As a result, there was no difference in the initial developmental dynamics of the aphid population or the timing of Orius's appearance between the two insecticides. However, the number of Orius spp. on zucchini in the dinotefuran plot was smaller than that in the flonicamid plot after the second application. Furthermore, no nymph of Orius spp. was found for 2 or 3 weeks after the spraying of dinotefuran. These results suggest that flonicamid has less of an effect on Orius spp. populations when compared with dinotefuran on zucchini.