Control of wireworms with organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides

Abstract

Carbaryl, chlorfenvinphos, diazinon, disulfoton, parathion, phorate, fenitrothion, thionazin and trichlorphon were tested for their effectiveness in killing wireworms by broadcast treatments. Each insecticide was tested once or more in two field trials cropped with wheat and two cropped with potatoes. Phorate and parathion were very lethal to wireworms at 4 Ib active ingredient per acre (4–48 kg/ha). Thionazin and diazinon were intermediate in effectiveness and the other insecticides ineffective.

The biology and management of wireworms (Agriotes spp.) on potato with particular reference to the U.K.

“…Laboratory work investigating organophosphorus (OP) compounds as replacement soil insecticides for wireworm control suggested that the most promising compounds were thionazin and fenthion (Grif®ths & Bardner, 1964). Subsequent ®eld experiments on cereals (Grif®ths et al, 1967) and potato demonstrated that although the OP insecticides such as phorate (Caldicott & Isherwood, 1967;Edwards & Thompson, 1971) reduced wireworm populations, none were as effective as organochlorine compounds such as aldrin. Subsequent work has substantiated the view that OP products can give effective, but often inconsistent, control of wireworm damage to potato.…”

Wireworms’ Management: An Overview of the Existing Methods, with Particular Regards to Agriotes spp. (Coleoptera: Elateridae)

“…Their withdrawal from registration for environmental and health concerns gave rise to the need of alternative control methods [ 36 ]. Soil-incorporated organophosphorous and carbamate insecticides replaced organochlorines, but observed control levels were overall variable [ 37 , 38 ]. Due to the same adverse secondary effects, including long persistence in the environment (insecticidal wireworm treatment can be linked to dramatic effects on non-target species, as shown recently for fonofos [ 39 ]) and human health concerns, they were progressively withdrawn from the markets, and those remaining may soon be phased out, even in North America [ 17 , 40 ].…”

Wireworm Management I: Stand Protection Versus Wireworm Mortality With Wheat Seed Treatments

“…Historically, most attention has focused on developing methods to mitigate crop damage by wireworms, although a smaller subset of published studies also have examined the fate of wireworms exposed to various management strategies in the Þeld. It is important to note that many of these combined crop protection/wireworm fate studies involved earlier classes of insecticides such as the organochlorines (OCs) (e.g., Lange et al 1949), organophosphates (OPs) and carbamates (e.g., Edwards and Thompson 1971), but a paucity of such studies exist for the newer classes of insecticides such as the pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, and phenyl pyrazoles. Because many of the earlier studies showed that damage protection was in fact linked to mortality of wireworm populations by several OCs and OPs (Lange et al 1949, Lane 1954, Edwards and Thompson 1971, it is tempting to equate good crop stand and yield protection by the newer classes of insecticides with wireworm mortality, albeit unconÞrmed.…”

“…It is important to note that many of these combined crop protection/wireworm fate studies involved earlier classes of insecticides such as the organochlorines (OCs) (e.g., Lange et al 1949), organophosphates (OPs) and carbamates (e.g., Edwards and Thompson 1971), but a paucity of such studies exist for the newer classes of insecticides such as the pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, and phenyl pyrazoles. Because many of the earlier studies showed that damage protection was in fact linked to mortality of wireworm populations by several OCs and OPs (Lange et al 1949, Lane 1954, Edwards and Thompson 1971, it is tempting to equate good crop stand and yield protection by the newer classes of insecticides with wireworm mortality, albeit unconÞrmed. Recent laboratory studies, however, have shown that the short and long-term toxic effects of pyrethroid, neonicotinoid, and phenyl pyrazole insecticides on wireworms differ considerably from each other and from the OCs and OPs (van Herk et al 2007(van Herk et al , 2008aVernon et al 2008), and the toxicities of individual insecticides also may differ among species (van Herk et al 2007(van Herk et al , 2008a).…”