Candidate Quarantine Pesticides for Stored-Product Insects, 1979

Laboratory-reared insects were exposed to pesticidal formulations in transport trailers (ca. 71 m3) in Miami, FL, and Baltimore, MD. For each test, 40 insects of each species were held in 10-cm-diam open petri dishes placed on the floor at the midsection of each trailer ca. 30 cm from a side wall. Freon-propelled aerosols were released from within closed trailers, either from the center of the trailer or by an individual walking the length of the trailer and spraying for the required length of time. Dusts were formulated with Hi Sil 233 as a carrier and introduced into the trailer by CO2 propellent through an open rear door. Emulsifiable concentrates were diluted with water and introduced for 1 min through an open rear door with an ULVAFAN battery-powered unit (Micron West, Inc., Houston, TX), or a Micro-Gen Bolt Model E10 110 VAC (Micro-Gen Equipment Corp., San Antonio, TX). The exposure period was 5 h; 10 min in the closed trailer after each insecticide application, 20 min with one door of the trailer opened for aeration, and 4.5 h in the original containers after their removal from the trailers and before the insects were transferred to clean petri dishes. Insects were observed for knockdown (those that could not walk or remain in an upright position) after 24 h and for mortality, expressed as dead plus moribund insects (those that showed little or no movement when lightly stimulated with a small camel-hair brush) at 14 days post-exposure. Each test was replicated at least 3 times. The average air temperature inside the trailer at treatment was 24° ± 3°C.