The increasing demand for lessening the chemical input in agricultural ecosystems requires an efficient combination of pesticides and biological controls. Thus, fully understanding the compatibility of pesticides and beneficial arthropod predators is helpful and essential. In this study, we evaluated the influence of nitenpyram on both larvae and adults of Coccinella septempunctata using exposure doses of 10, 25, 50, 100, and 150% of the maximum recommended field rate (MRFR) (3, 7.5, 15, 30, and 45 g a.i. ha⁻¹, respectively) and a blank control based on a preliminary acute 72-h toxicity experiment. In the long-term test, the LR₅₀ (application rate causing the mortality of 50% of the individuals) of nitenpyram for C. septempunctata decreased from 73.43 to 63.0 g a.i. ha⁻¹, while the HQ (hazard quotient) values remained below the threshold value of 2. Nitenpyram did not significantly influence the survival rate, fecundity, pupation, or adult emergence at 150% of the label rate (lowest LR₅₀ = 63.0 g a.i. ha⁻¹), and its demonstrated NOER (No Observed Effect application Rates) values are all above 45 g a.i. ha⁻¹. Likewise, the total developmental time and egg hatchability were not significantly affected at 100% of the label rate (NOER = 30 g a.i. ha⁻¹). The assessment of the total effect (E) suggested that nitenpyram could be classified as harmless to C. septempunctata below/at a dose of 30 g a.i. ha⁻¹. The lowest LR₅₀ and NOER values were both above the maximum recommended field application rate for nitenpyram (30 g a.i. ha⁻¹) for controlling aphids in China. All results indicated that the on-label use of nitenpyram is compatible with the natural enemy C. septempunctata in agricultural ecosystems.

As for developing effective integrated pest management (IPM), it is necessary to understand the sublethal effects of common insecticides on the non-target beneficial arthropods. In this lab-scale study, the sublethal effects of two anthranilic diamide insecticides chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole on the populations of 7-spot ladybird Coccinella septempunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were determined and compared using an age-stage, TWO-SEX life table and CONSUME-MSChart computer program. Cyantraniliprole at low-lethal concentrations of 1 and 10 mg L⁻¹ significantly prolonged the larval stages and reduced the total adult longevity, compared with the control. Additionally, the net reproductive rate (R₀), intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), and mean generation time (T) were significantly reduced in the group treated with 10 mg L⁻¹ of cyantraniliprole. Similarly, the net predation (C₀), the finite predation rate (ω), and stable predation rate (ψ) were significantly reduced by cyantraniliprole at 1 and 10 mg L⁻¹. In contrast, no significant difference in the demographic parameters above was determined for chlorantraniliprole at 1 mg L⁻¹. Therefore, C. septempunctata population may develop faster and possess greater predation potential against aphids under the exposure of chlorantraniliprole, compared to cyantraniliprole. Chlorantraniliprole may be a preference to cyantraniliprole as a combined alternative with ladybeetle predators in IPM framework.

The insecticidal activity of a new nano-formulated natural pyrethrin was examined on the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and the predators Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur (Hemiptera: Miridae), in respect with the nano-scale potential to create more effective and environmentally responsible pesticides. Pyrethrin was nano-formulated in two water-in-oil micro-emulsions based on safe biocompatible materials, i.e., lemon oil terpenes as dispersant, polysorbates as stabilizers, and mixtures of water with glycerol as the dispersed aqueous phase. Laboratory bioassays showed a superior insecticidal effect of the pyrethrin micro-emulsions compared to two commercial suspension concentrates of natural pyrethrins against the aphid. The nano-formulated pyrethrins were harmless, in terms of caused mortality and survival time, to L3 larvae and four-instar nymphs of the predators C. septempunctata and M. pygmaeus, respectively. We expect that these results can contribute to the application of nano-technology in optimization of pesticide formulation, with further opportunities in the development of effective plant protection products compatible with integrated pest management practices.

The contamination of agroecosystems due to the presence of trace elements in commonly used agricultural materials is a serious issue. The most contaminated material is usually sewage sludge, and the sustainable use of this material within agriculture is a major concern. This study addresses a key issue in this respect, the fate of trace metals applied to soil in food chains. The work particularly addresses the transfer of Pb, which is an understudied element in this respect, and compares the transfer of Pb with two of the most labile metals, Cd and Zn. The transfer of these elements was determined from sludge-amended soils in a food chain consisting of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea), the mustard aphid (Lipaphis erysimi) and a predatory beetle (Coccinella septempunctata). The soil was amended with sludge at rates of 0, 5, 10 and 20 % (w/w). Results showed that Cd was readily transferred through the food chain until the predator trophic level. Zn was the most readily transferred element in the lower trophic levels, but transfer to aphids was effectively restricted by the plant regulating shoot concentration. Pb had the lowest level of transfer from soil to shoot and exhibited particular retention in the roots. Nevertheless, Pb concentrations were significantly increased by sludge amendment in aphids, and Pb was increasingly transferred to ladybirds as levels increased. The potential for Pb to cause secondary toxicity to organisms in higher trophic levels may have therefore been underestimated.

Studying the toxic risk of pesticide exposure to ladybird beetles is important from an agronomical and ecological perspective since larval and adult ladybirds are dominant predators of herbivorous pest insects (e.g., aphids) in various crops in China. This article mainly deals with the long-term effects of a single application of the insect growth regulator hexaflumuron on Coccinella septempunctata. A 72-h and a 33-day toxicity test with hexaflumuron (single application) were performed, starting with the second instar larvae of C. septempunctata. Exposure doses in the long-term experiment were based on the estimated 72-h acute LR₅₀(application rate causing 50 % mortality) value of 304 g active ingredient (a.i.) ha⁻¹for second instar larvae of C. septempunctata. The long-term test used five hexaflumuron doses as treatment levels (1/50, 1/100, 1/200, 1/400, and 1/800 of the 72-h acute LR₅₀), as well as a solvent control and blank control treatment. The measurement endpoints used to calculate no observed effect application rates (NOERs) included development time, hatching, pupation, adult emergence, survival, and number of eggs produced. Analyzing the experimental data with one-way analysis of variance showed that the single hexaflumuron application had significant effects on C. septempunctata endpoints in the 33-day test, including effects on development duration (NOER 1.52 g a.i. ha⁻¹), hatching (NOER 3.04 g a.i. ha⁻¹), pupation (NOER 3.04 g a.i. ha⁻¹), and survival (NOER 1.52 g a.i. ha⁻¹). These NOERs are lower than the reported maximum field application rate of hexaflumuron (135 g a.i. ha⁻¹) in cotton cultivation, suggesting potential risks to beneficial arthropods.