Biological Control May Fail on Pests Applied with High Doses of Insecticides: Effects of Sub-Lethal Concentrations of a Pyrethroid on the Host-Searching Behavior of the Aphid Parasitoid Aphidius colemani (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) on Aphid Pests

Armando Alfaro-Tapia, Jeniffer K. Alvarez-Baca, Eduardo Fuentes-Contreras and Christian C. Figueroa
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Armando Alfaro-Tapia: Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, 1 Poniente 1141, Talca 3460000, Chile
Jeniffer K. Alvarez-Baca: Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, 1 Poniente 1141, Talca 3460000, Chile
Eduardo Fuentes-Contreras: Centre for Molecular and Functional Ecology in Agroecosystems, Universidad de Talca, Talca 3460000, Chile
Christian C. Figueroa: Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, 1 Poniente 1141, Talca 3460000, Chile

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: The use of synthetic insecticides may cause failures in the biological control of insect pests due to undesired side effects on natural enemies and the rapid evolution of insecticide resistance in agroecosystems. Residues of neurotoxic insecticides can interfere with the recognition of chemical cues used by natural enemies to find pests. We investigated the effects of sub-lethal concentrations of the pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin on the interaction between the aphid parasitoid wasp Aphidius colemani and the peach potato aphid Myzus persicae . We studied changes in host-searching and oviposition behavior through laboratory bioassays when susceptible and kdr -resistant aphids are offered to parasitoid females, evaluating the effect of applying insecticides on the interacting species. The patch residence time, exploration, oviposition, and grooming were significantly disturbed when the parasitoids were offered resistant aphids sprayed with sub-lethal doses, but not when the parasitoids were offered susceptible M. persicae exposed to sub-lethal doses. We discuss how the effects of insecticides on parasitism behavior may result in failures of biological control if natural enemy populations are not adequately managed, particularly for the management of insecticide-resistant pest populations. Efforts to introduce biological control in integrated pest management (IPM) programs are also discussed.

Keywords: parasitism behavior; aphid–parasitoid interaction; insecticides; pyrethroids; sub-lethal effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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