Efficacy of a combination of beta-cyfluthrin and imidacloprid and beta-cyfluthrin alone for control of stored-product insects on concrete.

The insecticidal effect of Temprid, a formulation that contains beta-cyfluthrin and imidacloprid, was tested on concrete for control of seven stored-product insect species: the rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens); the sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.); the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst); the confused flour beetle, T. confusum Jacquelin du Val; the hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus (DeGeer); and the psocids Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel and L. paeta Pearman. Temprid, which contains 10.5% beta-cyfluthrin and 21% imidacloprid, was tested at the rate of 17.2 ml of formulation/4.1 liters of water/100 m2. Adults were exposed for 4, 8, 14, and 24 h, and then daily for 7 d, on untreated dishes or dishes treated with Temprid. In the untreated dishes, mortality of C. ferrugineus and O. surinamensis was lower when food was present, but food did not affect mortality of the other species. Presence of food did not affect mortality of any of the species tested in the treated dishes. C. ferrugineus, O. surinamensis, and the two psocid species were very susceptible to Temprid, with mortality of 97-100% after 7 d of exposure. In contrast, D. maculatus, T. castaneum, and T. confusum were tolerant to Temprid, as mortality did not exceed 57, 25, and 17%, respectively, at the 7-d exposure. A separate series of similar bioassays with Tempo, a formulation that contains 11.8% beta-cyfluthrin alone, which was applied at the same dose rate as Temprid, was conducted using O. surinamensis and T. castaneum as the target insect species, and results showed that Tempo was at least as effective as Temprid. Our results indicate that the simultaneous use of beta-cyfluthrin with imidacloprid is not more effective on concrete than beta-cyfluthrin alone, and efficacy of both formulations varies with the target species.