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Effects of atmospheric environment, before and after treatment, on the toxicity to insects of contact poisons. I
Author(s) -
Potter C.,
Gillham E. M.
Publication year - 1946
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1946.tb06290.x
Subject(s) - toxicity , toxicology , nicotine , biology , petroleum , food science , chemistry , organic chemistry , paleontology , neuroscience
Experiments were made on the effect of conditions before and after treatment on the toxicity to adult Tribolium castaneum Hbst. of the following contact poisons in the media stated: (i) pyrethrins, (2) lauryl thiocyanate, (3) nicotine‐all in aqueous medium, (4) dinitro‐o‐cresol in ethylene glycol, (5) Wakefield half‐white oil, (6) D.D.T. in Wakefield half‐white oil. The difference in environment before spraying did not have any marked effect but, with the exceptions of nicotine and petroleum oil, all the toxicants used were more insecticidal when the beetles were kept under cool conditions after spraying. Nicotine showed little difference due to after‐treatment when an inverted filter funnel was used to confine the insects, but seemed markedly more toxic under cooler conditions of after‐treatment when the insects were confined in the dishes by means of muslin. Wakefield half‐white oil, a non‐volatile petroleum oil, proved more toxic when the insects were kept under warm conditions after treatment than under cool conditions. The increase in toxicity of chemically active contact poisons under cool conditions of after‐treatment appeared to occur whatever the nature of the carrier, whether volatile or non‐volatile, water or oil. In the substances tested, with the exception of nicotine under special circumstances, the increase in toxicity under cool conditions of after‐treatment occurred whatever the volatility of the poison. The change in toxicity, when cool conditions were compared with hot, varied with the poison used. With nicotine in aqueous medium the change was relatively small, the toxicity under cold conditions throughout being 1‐23 times the toxicity under hot conditions throughout. At the other extreme with pyrethrins and terpineol in aqueous medium there was a large alteration, the toxicity under cold conditions throughout being about 7 times the toxicity under the hot conditions throughout.