Pink Bollworms (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae): Effects of Low Concentrations of Selected Insecticides on Mating and Fecundity in the Laboratory1

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Abstract
Pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), moths treated with low doses of certain insecticides had a lower percentage of mating, laid fewer eggs, and, in some cases, had a reduced number of eggs hatch. The synthetic pyrethroids cyfluthrin, fenpropathrin, fenvalerate, flucythrinate, and permethrin all caused reductions in mating during the first 24-h period after treatment. The insecticides also reduced the number of eggs laid. Reductions in mating and oviposition caused by treatment with azinphosmethyl, methylparathion, trichlorfon, carbaryl, and chlordimeform were usually associated with or were the result of high mortality. Avermectin B1, an experimental compound from Merck, Sharpe and Dohme (MK-936), completely prevented mating and oviposition at the LD10 and LD50 with little mortality among the treated insects. Hatching of eggs was also reduced by these treatment levels of Avermectin B1. These tests show that, in addition to causing mortality, treatments of moths with certain insecticides may cause population suppression through reduced mating, fecundity, and hatching of eggs.

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