The initial mortality of the tested insecticides showed significant superiority of methomyl, abamectin, and thiamethoxam in their effect against Eobania vermiculata wich causing 100% snail mortality and 100% reduction in food consumed by this snail. Acetamiprid SP, azadirachtin and imidacloprid recorded 95.74, 87.23, and 87.23% reduction in food consumption and acute mortality 90, 85, and 80%, respectively. While as acetamiprid SL, amitraz and the mixture of pymetrozine 50% + cyantraniliprole10% gave the least effect in their initial effect and food consumption (70, 65 and 60 % initial mortality % and.74.76, 55.3 and 55.31% in food consumption respectively). The residual effect of the tested insecticides on, E. vermiculata after three days from the field treatment showed also the superiority of methomyl, abamectin, thiamethoxam, and acetamiprid SP in their effects against E. vermiculata causing mortality of 90, 90, 85, and 85 % and highly reduction % in food consumption as compared with control treatment gave 96.07, 96.07, 92.15 and 96.07 reduction %, respectively followed by azadirachtin, imidacloprid and acetamiprid SL that recorded mortality 75, 70 and 65 %, respectively while amitraz and the mixture of (pymetrozine50%+ cyantraniliprole 10% recorded 50 and 45 % mortality. The residual effect after seven days was in descending order as follows 85, 85, 80, 75, 70, 65, 55, 40, and 37 % with methomyl, abamectin, acetamiprid SP, thiamethoxam, azadirachtin, imidacloprid, acetamiprid SL, amitraz and the mixture of pymetrozine50%+ cyantraniliprole 10%), respectively. From these results, it could be concluded that these insecticides can give excellent protection against the chocolate banded snail, E. vermiculata.

Eight Egyptian isolates of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN), four belong to the genus Heterorhabditis and four belong to Steinernema were evaluated against adult females of the soft tick Argas persicus and engorged females of the hard tick, Boophilus annulatus in the laboratory. Results indicated that two EPN isolates (A4 and 10k) of Heterorhabditis were rapidly fatal and have high pathogenicity (100% mortality after 72 hours) against A. persicus when treated with 1000 nematode Infective Juveniles (IJs/ml). Meanwhile, only one isolate (5B) of Steinernema gave accumulated mortality of 93.33% against A. persicus. Furthermore, Heterorhabditis isolates (10 K and A4) caused 93.33% and 86% mortality to B. annulatus. The most effective EPN isolates of Steinernema were 5B and AT4 against B. annulatus, they both gave ca 86.7% mortality. The LC 50 values of Heterorhabditis spp. (A4 and 10K isolates) after 72 hrs post infection and LT 50 were (27.03 and 257.03 IJs/ml) and (11.94 and 19.2 hrs.), respectively against A. persicus. While, the LC 90 was 360.24 and 765.72 IJs/ml for A4 and 10K isolates, respectively. Meanwhile, A4 and 10K isolates exhibited relatively high values of LC 50, LC 90 and LT 50 against B. annulatus, represented by (358.57±0.71 and 812.83 IJs/ ml); (1258.9 and 2485.9 IJs/ml.) and (25.64 and 51.28 hrs.), respectively. The present study cleared that Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) isolates of the genus Heterorhabditis spp. (A4 and 10K) are potentially useful biological tools for tick control.

The objective of this study was to study the efficacy of four indigenous and one exotic isolated entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) against sugarcane mealybug Saccharococcus sacchari under laboratory conditions (27 ± 2 °C, RH 65 ± 10%). The EPNs used in the study are Steinernema sp. (strain: AT4), Steinernema sp. (strain: EMB), Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (strain: EKB20), Heterorhabditis sp. (strain: EIK) and Steinernema glasri (strain: New Jersey). The bioassays were carried out on Petri dishes containing parts of pumpkin infested with adult females of S. sacchari, and were sprayed with EPN juveniles. Results showed that H. bacteriophora strain (EKB20) and Heterorhabditis sp (EIK) were more efficient with higher pathogenicity and virulence in the laboratory than the other strains and gave the highest corrected mortality percentage in the infestation (from 68.59% to 70.83%). The LC 50 were 25.42 and 45.5 IJs/ insect for the two strains, respectively.

The efficiency of three isolates of entomopathogenic nematodes indigenous in Egypt, (i. e. Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (EKB20), Steinernema sp. (B32) and Heterorhabiditis sp. (Kasassien isolate)) were determined in the laboratory and field compared with imidacloprid insecticide on the larvae and adults of the red Palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus. Results showed that isolates of entomopathogenic nematodes, B32 and EKB20 are more effective than Kasassien against R. ferrugineus larvae at inoculum levels of 1000 and 2000 Infective Juveniles (IJs)/mL. Both isolates of B32 and EKB20 were faster killers achieving more than 90% mortality to the 3 rd instar larvae of the red palm weevil after 72 hrs. Field evaluation showed that Kasassien and EKB20 achieved higher levels of control against diferent stages of R. ferrugineus reaching 100% reduction than the isolate B32 (80.33 % reduction). When the level of palm weevil infestation was moderate (1-3 weevil tunnels/ tree, the reduction percent was 80.33, 100 and 80.66% when the trees were treated with EPN isolates of EKB20, Kasassien and B32 respectively. There was no significant effect when the trees with higher infestation (more than 3 tunnels/palm tree) level were treated with EPN. While as imidacloprid insecticide gave 100% mortality in the three levels of infestation. The current work has indicated that EPN are considered promising biocontrol agents, if correctly applied and released in an integrated control schemes against the red palm weevil.

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