Pest management by modifying insect development and behaviour

Contents

Communication in insectsBehavioural alterationSemiochemicals PheromonesAllelochemicals Chitin synthesis inhibitors Attractants Repellents Antifeedants

METHODS OF COMMUNICATION IN INSECTS

AUDITORY VISUAL

OLFACTION TACTILE

• Control strategies against insect pests involvesome sort of change to their behaviourthrough

Chemical (i.e. volatiles and non-volatile compounds, feeding deterrents)

Visual orAuditory signals.

• Manipulating pest behaviour for insect control-known for centuries through the practice oftrap cropping.

• Ex: Food lures and baits with pesticides tocontrol household pests.

• Arrival of cheaper chemicalcontrols with broad insecticidalactivity.

Adoption of technologies to manipulate insect behaviour in

agricultural systems – Slow ????

Increasing public awareness of the negative effects ofbroad-spectrum insecticides on humans and non-targetorganisms.

United States, the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) implemented the Food Protection Act (FQPA) in1996.

Adoption of alternative pest management practices-manipulation of pest behaviour and

To promote a transition from insecticide-based to moreecologically, integrated pest management (IPM)-basedprograms.

Later

• Since then, many conventional pesticides have beenreplaced by low risk or bio-rational pesticides/ reduced riskpesticides.

• Chemicals that affect the growth, development, biology andecology of pest species, differently from that of beneficialspecies.

• Low toxicity to non-target organisms.

• Insects more dependent onchemical cues and chemicals.

Advances in chemical technology inthe last three decades have allowedthe discovery, identification andsynthesis of specific chemicals thatregulate or mediate growth anddevelopment and species behaviour.

That may cause

o Premature death (abnormal moulting ormetamorphosis)

o Attracting or repelling towards the source.

Exploitation in pest management

Behaviour alteration

• Manipulation of pest behaviour is defined as “the use ofstimuli that either stimulate or inhibit a behaviour andthereby change its expression” (Foster and Harris, 1997).

• Semiochemicals: Greek word- simeone – a mark or a signal.Chemicals that are able to modify the behaviour of aperceiving organism at sub micro or nano gram levels.

Semiochemicals

Naturally secreted

Pheromones(Intraspecific)

Releaser pheromones

Primer pheromones

Allelochemicals(Interspecific)

Allomones

Kairomones

Synomones

Antimones

ApneumonesNot secreted

Repellents

Attractants

Antifeedants

Thank you