Tiny-particle pesticides can work alongside pest-hunting wasps instead of killing them
Fan J, Mu Q, Wu S, Zeng J, Jiang Q
Biological Control
Cutworms that slice through seedlings overnight are a familiar garden frustration, and this work points toward sprays that knock pests back without wiping out the parasitic wasps that keep hunting them afterward.
Sprays meant to kill caterpillars often kill the helpful wasps that hunt them too. Scientists packaged two insecticides in a gentle carrier made of tiny particles, which made them about 20-30% deadlier to cutworms while leaving the wasps' offspring unharmed. The spray hits fast, the wasps take over as it wears off, and together they held cutworm numbers down for longer than either could alone.
Key Findings
Nano-pesticide particles measured 105 nm (abamectin) and 215 nm (chlorantraniliprole), with strongly positive zeta potentials of +50.84 mV and +47.57 mV.
The nano-formulations were roughly 20-30% more toxic to common cutworms than the plain pesticides, and parasitoid wasp eclosion rate stayed at 100%.
Combining nano-pesticides with Meteorus pulchricornis wasps gave over 82% cutworm population suppression in simulated conditions; the HLDP carrier only became lethal to wasps orally at very high doses (LC50 = 5.643 mg/mL).
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers built tiny-particle versions of two common insecticides that don't harm a parasitic wasp used for pest control. Paired with the wasps, they suppressed over 82% of common cutworm populations, since the pesticide works fast and the wasps keep working after it fades.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Preparation of nontoxic nano-pesticides with safe nanocarrier: First synergistic application with parasitoid enemy for shorter initial acting time and longer control persistence toward insect pests.
The dual challenges of long initial acting time of natural enemies and short control persistence of pesticides underscore the urgent need to co-apply selective pesticides and natural enemies for sy...
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