NEW INSIGHTS OF SIDE-EFFECTS OF TAU-FLUVALINATE ON BIOLOGICAL AGENTS AND POLLINATORS.

A high number of side-effects trials were developed and carried out on beneficial insects and mites by the 'Side-effects on beneficial organisms' IOBC working group and subsequently published in the IOBC bulletins over a number of years. In general, these tests were mainly carried out under laboratory and/or semi-field conditions following the very worst case scenario applications, leading to an IOBC classification of 3 (moderately toxic) and 4 (harmful) for many of the tested compounds However, feedback from applications under practical conditions, often indicated that the published results were far from realism for a number of compounds. Due to the fact that some of these active ingredients are still regularly used, or even growing in importance, a number of them were tested on many beneficial arthropods and pollinators and the upcoming results were compared with the registered IOBC data. Among these compounds, Tau-fluvalinate (Mavrik), a widely used synthetic pyrethroid against aphids, caterpillars and beetles in a large number of crops, was tested in the facilities of IPM Impact. While this compound was often considered as being very toxic for all beneficial organisms, slightly toxicity was shown on adults of Aphidius colemani (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae), and larvae of Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) and Anthocoris nemoralis (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae). However, the moderately toxicity or toxicity appeared on adults of Trichogramma brassicae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) as well as larvae of Adalia bipunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Episyrphus balteatus (Diptera: Syrphidae), was moderated by short persistence of less than 3 days. Concerning large earth bumblebee, Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae), the compound was characterized as completely safe, even when being sprayed in the full flight phase of the bumblebees. This indicates that for a high number of pollinator species and some of the most important beneficial insects, tau-fluvalinate can be applied without any restriction in IPM schemes in the majority of crops. Furthermore, the appropriate application time may lead to hardly any residual effects on other beneficials in practice.