Tarbiat Modares University Journal of Crop Protection 2251-9041 14 4 2025 10 01 Efficacy of insecticides in toxic baits against the subterranean termite Microcerotermes diversus (Isoptera: Termitidae) 379 388 27842 10.48311/jcp.2025.76140.0 EN Fatemeh Yarahmadi Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollsani, Khuzestan, Iran. Journal Article 2024 01 25 The subterranean termite Microcerotermes diversus Silvestri (Isoptera: Termitidae) is <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">a significant urban pest that infests wooden objects and trees in urban green spaces, causing substantial damage each year. In <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">this study, the <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">efficacy of four insecticides—azadirachtin, spinosad, emamectin benzoate plus lufenuron, and imidacloprid—<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">was evaluated for<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> controlling this pest <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">under field conditions. To evaluate the antifeedant effects of the insecticides on the <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">insects, bait consumption was determined for each treatment. The results indicated that the lowest consumption <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">was observed <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">for the toxic bait containing azadirachtin, which suggests an antifeedant effect of the botanical insecticide. The highest consumption was observed <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">for the baits containing imidacloprid. To investigate the feeding activity and population status of the foraging termites, oriental beach blocks were <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">subjected to different treatments. The <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">greatest reduction in the weight of the blocks (an index <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">of termite feeding activity) and the highest termite density were observed in <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">the azadirachtin treatment<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">, and the lowest <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">were observed in the imidacloprid and emamectin benzoate + lufenuron treatments. Therefore, the field experiments <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">indicated that among <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">the different treatments, imidacloprid and emamectin benzoate plus lufenuron are the best candidates <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">for use <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">as toxic baits against M. diversus. Although azadirachtin <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">is not an appropriate insecticide <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">for use in toxic baits against M. diversus due to its antifeedant property, it can be used as an effective antifeedant compound to protect wooden objects or as a barrier against termite <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">entry into protected <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-bidi-font-family: 'B Lotus'; color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">environments.

https://jcp.modares.ac.ir/article_27842_6d96c43d1905c9a852dba3dd5370e0c4.pdf