Efficacy of Conifer Seedling Protection against Pine Weevil Damage using Neonicotinoids and Metaflumizone Insecticides

Abstract

In a laboratory experiment, we studied how effective three neonicotinoids (acetamiprid, imidacloprid, thiacloprid) and metaflumizone are in preventing the pine weevil (Hylobius abietis) damage and the effects of insecticides on insects. None of the tested insecticides could prevent the damage and 30-86.7% of twigs suffered deep wounds before all weevils died in about three weeks. However, the mean area of deep wounds was greatly reduced compared with that in the control treatment, representing only 0.4% - in thiacloprid, 0.6% - in acetamiprid, 2.4% - in imidacloprid and 6.9% - in metaflumizone treatments. The tested neonicotinoids might be sufficiently effective in the field conditions at a lower population density.