To further develop Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies against crop pests, it is important to evaluate the effects of insecticides on biological control agents. Therefore, we tested the toxicity and sublethal effects (fecundity and fertility) of flonicamid, flubendiamide, metaflumizone, spirotetramat, sulfoxaflor and deltamethrin on the natural enemies Chrysoperla carnea and Adalia bipunctata. The side effects of the active ingredients of the insecticides were evaluated with residual contact tests for the larvae and adults of these predators in the laboratory. Flonicamid, flubendiamide, metaflumizone and spirotetramat were innocuous to last instar larvae and adults of C. carnea and A. bipunctata. Sulfoxaflor was slightly toxic to adults of C. carnea and was highly toxic to the L4 larvae of A. bipunctata. For A. bipunctata, sulfoxaflor and deltamethrin were the most damaging compounds with a cumulative larval mortality of 100%. Deltamethrin was also the most toxic compound to larvae and adults of C. carnea. In accordance with the results obtained, the compounds flonicamid, flubendiamide, metaflumizone and spirotetramat might be incorporated into IPM programs in combination with these natural enemies for the control of particular greenhouse pests. Nevertheless, the use of sulfoxaflor and deltamethrin in IPM strategies should be taken into consideration when releasing either of these biological control agents, due to the toxic behavior observed under laboratory conditions. The need for developing sustainable approaches to combine the use of these insecticides and natural enemies within an IPM framework is discussed.

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LLITNs of appropriate mesh size can become a very valuable tool in combination with biocontrol agents for additional protection against insect vectors of plant viruses under IPM programmes.

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The insect toxicity assays demonstrated that MACs are selective for O. laevigatus. The modelling/docking experiments are indications that these pesticides do not bind with the LBD-EcR of O. laevigatus and support the supposition that they show no biological effects in the predatory bug. These data help in explaining the compatible use of MACs together with predatory bugs in IPM programmes.

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Whiteflies, the tomato borer and leafminers are among the major pests of greenhouse tomatoes in Spain. Macrolophus pygmaeus (Heteroptera, Miridae) and Nesidiocoris tenuis are polyphagous predators of whiteflies, the tomato borer and other pests. Diglyphus isaea (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) is an ectoparasite of leafminers. These three natural enemies are commonly released in the commercial horticultural greenhouses of south-eastern Spain. Emamectin benzoate is a new semi-synthetic derivative of the avermectin B 1 developed for Lepidoptera pest control in vegetable crops, with requested inclusion in annex I of the EU directive 91/414/EEC. As for any new insecticide that is being introduced for its use in protected tomato, it is critical to understand the level of compatibility of emamectin in front of those major biological control agents. Potted tomato plants kept in a greenhouse were sprayed with the highest recommended field rate of emamectin benzoate (14.25 mg L -1 ), and the toxicity of fresh and 7-day-old residues to adults of the three biological control agents were studied to ascertain their compatibility. The results demonstrated the compatibility of both fresh and 7-day-old residues with the three species of natural enemies.Additional key words: avermectins; biological control; greenhouse; leafminers; whiteflies. ResumenComunicación corta. Toxicidad del benzoato de emamectina sobre adultos de Nesidiocoris tenuis Reuter, Macrolophus pygmaeus (Rambur) (Heteroptera: Miridae) y Diglyphus isaea Walker (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) en plantas de tomate. Estudios de semi-campo La mosca blanca, la polilla y el minador de la hoja del tomate son algunas de las plagas más importantes de los invernaderos españoles. Macrolophus pygmaeus (Heteroptera: Miridae) y Nesidiocoris tenuis son depredadores polí-fagos de la mosca blanca, la polilla y otras plagas del tomate. Diglyphus isaea (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) es un ectoparasitoide del minador de la hoja. Estos tres enemigos naturales se usan comúnmente en sueltas inoculativas en invernaderos comerciales del sureste español. Benzoato de emamectina es un derivado semi-sintético de la avermectina B 1 , desarrollado para el control de plagas de lepidópteros en cultivos hortícolas que está siendo revisado para su inclusión en el Anejo I siguiendo la directiva EU 91/414/EEC. Al igual que para todos los insecticidas de nueva introducción en el cultivo del tomate protegido, es fundamental el conocimiento del nivel de compatibilidad del benzoato de emamectina frente a los agentes de control biológico más utilizados en este ámbito. Se aplicó el insecticida benzoato de emamectina a la dosis máxima recomendada (14,25 mg L -1 ) sobre plantas de tomate en invernadero para evaluar la toxicidad del residuo fresco y de siete días del insecticida sobre adultos de estos tres agentes de control biológico. Los resultados demuestran que tanto el residuo fresco como el de siete días son compatibles con las tres especies estudiadas.Palabras clave adicionales: avermectinas; control biológico;...

The insect toxicity assays demonstrated that MACs are selective for P. concolor. The modelling/docking experiments are indications that these insecticides do not bind with the LBD-EcR of P. concolor and support the theory that they show no biological effects in the parasitic wasp. These data may help in explaining the compatible use of MACs together with parasitic wasps in IPM programmes.