Arthropods (Jun 2019)
Effects of Altosid XR briquets as sustained-release formulations on Culex pipiens and honey bees
Abstract
Mosquitos are dangerous disease vectors to humans. There are many methods to control mosquitos, and one of these methods depends on adding insect growth regulators (IGRs) in pond water to impair the development of immature stages. On the other side, honey bees may collect contaminated water with IGRs to dilute stored honey inside hives for feeding. The interaction between IGRs used to control mosquito and honey bees, as a non-target organism, has gained little attention. In this study, the efficacy period of a single application of Altosid XR (methoprene as an active ingredient) on mosquito, Culex pipiens, reared in pond water from two different sources, and its effects on honey bee, Apis mellifera, larvae and adults were studied. The results showed that the Altosid as sustained-release formulations had continuous effectiveness with 90-100% inhibition of adult formation for 43 and 45 days post-treatment for mosquito reared in pond water from the two sources. The source of pond water showed no high impact on the efficacy period of Altosid, especially the period with the highest effectiveness. Significantly higher numbers of treated honey bee larvae with Altosid were removed by worker bees than the control group. The survival of adult bees fed on syrup prepared using water collected after two and three weeks post-treatment with Altosid impacted negatively than the control group. Single application with Altosid can be considered as a suitable treatment for mosquitos up to 45 days, meanwhile as a potential hazard to bee colonies for immature and mature stages.
