Modern groups of insecticides: diamides and meta-diamides

The review summarizes and analyzes the data of foreign authors on the practical efficacy, mechanisms of action and insect resistance concerning insecticides of the groups of diamides and meta-diamides. The prospects of their application in Russia in agriculture and medical disinsection are considered. Insects resistant to OР’s, carbamates, pyrethroids remain the susceptibility to diamides and meta-diamides. Broflanilide, a pro-insecticide, which, due to its transformation into desmethylbroflanilide in the body of arthropods, acquires physicochemical properties leading to improved lipophilicity, water solubility, stability, affecting systemic activity, slowing down the action on harmful insects and increased selectivity for non-target species, is considered in detail. In several countries of the world where diamides are widely used in the controlling agricultural pests, a high resistance of several species of noctuids, diamondback moth, pyralid moths, tomato leafminer, etc. has been established. The key factors that determined the resistance to diamide in Thailand were the lack of insecticide rotation, minimal crop rotation, insufficient insecticide dosage, and irrigation. The necessity of introducing diamides and meta-diamides into the insecticide rotation schemes in order to control the insects resistant to traditionally used active substances was revealed.

Insect infestations in mealworm farming: the case of the pyralid moths

During the last decade the insect sector has witnessed a tremendous growth. A lot of scientific knowledge has been accumulated regarding insect production, processing and industrialisation. However, an issue that has been often overlooked is the management of insect pest infestations in insect production plants. Pyralid moths appear to be the most prevalent insect pest-species in mealworm farms. Although not directly affecting the mealworm larvae, these species can cause severe problems infesting the feed. Their presence in the production facility can lead to the contamination of the mealworm protein with moth protein and the disruption of sieving and processing due to the larval webbing. The management of moth infestations in insect rearing units is rather challenging, as most commonly applied insecticide-based control measures cannot be implemented due to their negative impact on insect production. Therefore, moth control should be based on the integration of several alternative strategies in a holistic approach that combines improved sanitation and hygiene with non-chemical control measures. The application of extreme temperatures, biological control, mating disruption and other control tools for the management of insect infestations in insect producing facilities is being discussed within this review.