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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #315875
Title: Comparison of Target and Non-target Mortality Rates from Residual Pesticide on HESCO Material

Author
item Aldridge, Robert
item DAO, THOMAS - University Of Florida
item Gibson, Seth
item Linthicum, Kenneth - Ken

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/27/2015
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: We conducted a series of tests to determine if pesticides applied as persistent treatments (residual pesticides) to militarily relevant textile materials to kill mosquitoes, flies, and other disease and nuisance pests might also impact populations of beneficial insects. We exposed samples of pesticide-treated textile material to mosquito and fly pest insects as well as ladybird beetles, beneficial insects important in crop conservation. The results showed that the risk posed to the ladybird beetles was similar to a more robust pest, such as the common house fly. However, they were not as sensitive as other pest organisms, such as the southern house mosquito or stable flies. Finally, our findings suggest that the effect of pesticide-treated materials on non-target insects like ladybird beetles would be minimal after four weeks of the persistent pesticide exposure to the elements, but direct impact would depend on the insect’s behavior when encountering these materials in the environment.