Differences in life stage sensitivity of the beetle Tenebrio molitor towards a pyrethroid insecticide explained by stage-specific variations in uptake, elimination and activity of detoxifying enzymes.

It is widely accepted that sensitivity towards pesticides varies significantly between species. Much less is known about the potential differences in pesticide sensitivity and its biological mechanism throughout the lifecycle of a single species. In the present study we used three life-stages (larvae, pupae and adult) of the holometabolous insect Tenebrio molitor to investigate: i) Life-stage specific differences in sensitivity towards the pyrethroid insecticide α-cypermethrin after topical exposure, and ii) whether these differences can be explained by the degree of uptake and/or excretion.