Pairing Residual Contact Insecticide Use With Long-Lasting Insecticide-Incorporated Netting to Reduce Dispersal and Damage by Stored Product Insects

Abstract

Long-lasting insecticide-incorporated netting (LLIN) can intercept insects and has shown promise for pest management before and after harvest in agriculture. Understanding how to incorporate LLIN into existing integrated pest management (IPM) programs, with other commonly used tactics like residual contact insecticides, can significantly enhance IPM programs at food facilities. In this study, we assessed whether LLIN (0.34% alpha-cypermethrin, BASF) may enhance the effects of residual contact insecticides such as Centanyl EC (Central Life Sciences), active ingredient (a.i.) deltamethrin and Evergreen (McLaughlin Gormley King Co.), a.i. natural pyrethrins against Tribolium castaneum and Rhyzopertha dominica. We recorded their dispersal and progeny production in treatments with LLIN alone, deltamethrin or pyrethrins alone, LLIN + insecticide, or no treatment (positive control). We demonstrated the use of both LLIN and residual insecticide with either deltamethrin or pyrethrins reduced adult insect dispersal to the food sources compared to the control, but only increased control of progeny production marginally by 8%–19%. LLIN alone was highly effective in reducing progeny production of T. castaneum by 40% compared to the positive control. Importantly, pyrethrins did not cause significant direct mortality or prevent progeny production when used alone against T. castaneum. However, the combined use of pyrethrins with LLIN showed an enhanced efficacy against the insect. Together, the combined use of LLIN and the residual contact insecticides evaluated in our study may have some benefits over using residual contact insecticide alone to manage stored product insects.