Systemic insecticides for Dendroctonus adjunctus Blandford, 1897 control in Nevado de Toluca

Abstract

Members of the Dendroctonus genus are among the most spread pests affecting the trees of temperate ecosystems. Their control and management in Mexico are regulated by the NOM-019-SEMARNAT-2006 norm; however, this norm constitutes a risk factor in protected natural areas. In the search of pest management options for bark beetles which attack trees in the Nevado de Toluca Protected Area, 13 treatments using abamectin, acephate, imidacloprid and emamectin benzoate, each at three different concentrations, were tested, and a treatment with water was utilized as a control. Pinus hartwegii trees infested by Dendroctonus adjunctus were treated with the Injecthor® pressurized Injection System. A randomized complete block experimental design with 4 replicates was set up. One month and five months after the injections bark and phloem samples were taken (three 100 cm2 tree-1); gallery construction, and insect mortality data were registered. The results indicate that the most effective treatments for the control of D. adjunctus were acephate 12 %, emamectin benzoate 2 % and abamectin 0.3 % in that order.