The effect of certain antibiotics on reproduction of the black bean aphid, Aphis fabae Scop.

SUMMARY The antibiotic terramycin at 0.2% concentration was consistently effective in greatly reducing the populations of Aphis fabae on Vicia faba when sprayed on larvae on and off the plant. The insects were not killed, but their fertility was decreased by over 97% in the first generation, leading to total sterility in the second generation. At 0.01% concentration, terramycin was not effective and only moderately so at 0.1% Larval development was invariably delayed by 1 day and the weight and size of the resulting adults were significantly reduced. After the most effective treatments, the adults were very inactive in their feeding and excretion, and sometimes became completely sterile. Even when the aphids reproduced, they ceased to do so after 6–10 days in different terramycin treatments and frequently the larvae were born dead. The affected insects could not, apparently, regain their reproductive capacity even after their transfer to untreated plants. When the insects were sprayed on the plants, terramycin in water was as effective as with surfactants: but when the insects were sprayed off the plants an oxyethyl phenol derivative (NP 10) greatly increased the efficiency of terramycin: surfactants alone had no effect on the insects. The other four antibiotics, namely tetracycline, aureomycin, chloramphenicol and reverin were not effective at the 0.2% concentration when the plants alone were sprayed before introducing the apids. The addition of glycerin to the antibiotics and keeping plants in a high humidity for 24 hr. after the treatment also had no effect.