Effects of a juvenile hormone analog, pyriproxyfen, on Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Effects of a juvenile hormone analog, pyriproxyfen, on various developmental stadia of the onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, were determined on cabbage leaves in the laboratory. Pyriproxyfen was applied at 0.064 or 0.128 g AI liter−1 on leaves (residual contact–ingestion), thrips (direct contact) and leaf–thrips (residue contact–ingestion–direct contact). Pyriproxyfen did not have any significant lethal effects on thrips pupae in any treatment. Lethal effects on thrips larvae varied depending on application method and dosage. In the leaf and the leaf–thrips treatments, few larvae and pre-pupae molted to the next stage, and none developed to adults. In contrast, in the thrips-only treatment, pyriproxyfen did not show any significant lethal effects. The developmental times of larvae and pre-pupae were prolonged when larvae were treated with pyriproxyfen, and those of pre-pupae and pupae were shortened when pre-pupae and pupae were treated. The longevity and survival rates of thrips adults were generally shorter when they contacted and ingested pyriproxyfen-treated leaves than those in water control. Significantly fewer progeny (0.22–1.15 larvae per female) were produced by females that had fed on and been in contact with the pyriproxyfen-treated leaves than by those in the water control (11.94 larvae per female). However, the number of progeny produced by the thrips females increased significantly (3.32–7.28 larvae per female) when the females were transferred to untreated leaves after feeding on treated leaves for 5 days; the daily larval hatching pattern was similar to those in water control, indicating that female adults were able to produce viable eggs when untreated food was offered.