Lethal and Sub-Lethal Effects of Organic-Production-Approved Insecticides and Fungicides on the Predator (Rambur) (Hemiptera: Miridae).

In this study, the effects of paraffin oil, copper hydroxide, copper oxychloride, wettable sulfur, and deltamethrin, as a toxic reference treatment, on the survival and predation rate of were investigated. In each treatment, the prey were classified as slightly, partially or fully consumed. The mortality rate after contact exposure was high (66.6%) when nymphs were treated with copper hydroxide but much lower after residual exposure (6.6%). caused 53.3% and 46.6% mortality via contact and residual exposure, respectively. The total prey consumption was significantly lower in the pyrethroid reference treatment control and treatments. The highest percentage of slightly consumed prey was recorded in the toxic reference and treatments, that of partially consumed prey in the copper hydroxide treatment and, finally, that of fully consumed prey in the paraffin oil treatment. Therefore, assessing the sub-lethal effects by separating the prey killed into slightly, partially and fully consumed is a sensitive approach to detect impacts which otherwise may remain unnoticed. The results provide information for the most appropriate use of in IPM programs and introduce more sensitive approaches in the detection of side-effects of pesticides on and other hemipteran predators.