The effects of oil adjuvant on the degradation of spirotetramat and its metabolites in apple cultivation.

Spirotetramat is a frequently used insecticide in integrated pest management (IPM) strategies against rosy apple aphid (Dysaphis plantaginea) and woolly apple aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum) in apple cultivation. It is known that paraffin oil adjuvants increase the effect of spirotetramat against aphids. In contrast, there is a knowledge gap regarding the effects of co-applied paraffin (mineral or petroleum) oil on the degradation of spirotetramat and its metabolites (B-enol, B-keto, B-mono, and B-glu), which has not been previously investigated.

Effect of repeated intakes of a neonicotinoid insecticide on the foraging behaviours of Apis mellifera in field trials.

Evaluating the effects of neonicotinoids on forager bees in conditions as near as possible to those in nature presents a considerable challenge. Tackling this challenge is, however, necessary to establish their negative side effects on these pollinators. For instance, it is still under debate the mechanism by which bees seem to recognize low-level contaminations of neonicotinoid insecticides in nectar and pollen of the flowers they visit and limit collection to protect themselves and their hive from a possible intoxication.

An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides. Part 1: new molecules, metabolism, fate, and transport.

With the exponential number of published data on neonicotinoids and fipronil during the last decade, an updated review of literature has been conducted in three parts. The present part focuses on gaps of knowledge that have been addressed after publication of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides in 2015. More specifically, new data on the mode of action and metabolism of neonicotinoids and fipronil, and their toxicity to invertebrates and vertebrates, were obtained.