Piperonyl Butoxide as a Constituent of Heavy-oil Sprays for the Control of Stored Product Insects

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Abstract
The effect of piperonyl butoxide (PB) on the toxicities of allethrin, DDT, and BHC in a heavy oil base to Tribolium castaneum beetles has been tested. PB synergised allethrin and BHC both in films and direct sprays. It antagonized DDT in films, but left the toxicity of DDT unchanged in direct sprays.The effect of PB on the joint toxicity of BHC and pyrethrins to T. castaneum was also investigated, applying the materials as direct sprays. The data were not so conclusive as had been hoped, but they indicated strongly that in a mixture containing all three materials the PB synergised each insecticide as though the other were absent, i. e., it synergised both simultaneously.The experimental findings of the present paper are examined in conjunction with the findings of Hewlett and Plackett (1950). It is shown that there is an underlying similarity between the film and direct spray results for the joint toxicities to T. castaneum of pyrethrins, DDT, BHC, and PB, taken in pairs.