New World army ants species have an important role in structuring invertebrate communities. Labidus praedator (Fr. Smith, 1858) is a generalist top predator that can reduce pest densities in agroecosystems. The aim of this study was to describe behavioral attributes, diet composition and interspecific interactions of the ant L. praedator. We searched for army ant raids using standardized trail-walk surveys and plotted army ants raids positions on an aerial image. We photographed events at swarm raids of L. praedator and recorded its diet items in basal columns near bivouacs. Six species from four Ecitoninae genera - Labidus (Jurine, 1807), Nomamyrmex (Borgmeier, 1936), Neivamyrmex (Borgmeier, 1940) and Eciton (Latreille, 1804) - were recorded. Caterpillars dominated the composition of the diet of L. praedator. Flowers and diaspores of weeds and aril and flesh of fruits were also transported to bivouacs. One colony stopped foraging after intense rainfall and discrete groups of hundreds of L. praedator ants were separated under patches covered by shrubs. Groups of Crotophaginae birds, Sarcophaginae flies and Polistinae wasps followed L. praedator swarm raids. We discuss the importance of landscape structure for agroecosystem colonization by Ecitoninae and the existence of chemical opportunism between army ants species through the reuse of unoccupied trails.

The use of synergists is important in minimizing the amount of chemical insecticide required for insect control. Their use can contribute to reducing environmental contamination and preserving beneficial insects. To further investigate a promising alternative to the synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO), we compared the synergistic effects of PBO and Piper aduncum L. essential oil (PAEO) when combined with several insecticides (cypermethrin, zeta-cypermethrin, permethrin, and esfenvalerate) on the larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797). Initially, we determined the lethal doses and concentrations (LD 50 and LC 50 ) for S. frugiperda larvae subjected to separate treatments with PAEO and with each commercial insecticide. Subsequently, in order to evaluate the synergistic effect, combinations of sublethal doses or sublethal concentrations of the essential oil (½ and ¼ of the LD 50 or LC 50 , respectively) were prepared with sublethal doses or sublethal concentrations of the insecticides (below the LD 40 or LC 40 ). To confirm the evidence of the synergistic efficacy of the PAEO, the same reduced concentrations and doses of the insecticides that were previously used in combinations with the oil were also combined with PBO at a ratio of 10:1 (PBO:Insecticide). Through the relationship between the CL 50 and DL 50 of the insecticides taken separately and in their synergistic combinations with the PAEO and PBO, synergism factors (SF) were calculated for the various combinations. With residual contact, there was a significant enhancement of the commercial insecticides formulated with cypermethrin (SF = 73.03), zeta-cypermethrin (SF = 16.51), and permethrin ) when combined with the PAEO; by contrast, with topical application there was a significant enhancement only for zeta-cypermethrin (SF = 0.40-4.26), permethrin (SF = 2.10-4.79), and esfenvalerate (SF = 3.80) when combined with the essential oil. With the exception of esfenvalerate, the other synergistic combinations showed homogeneous responses for topical application and residual contact for at least one synergistic combination with PAEO. The significance of the SF values from combining PAEO with cypermethrin, zeta-cypermethrin, permethrin, and esfenvalerate insecticides may indicate that this essential oil is an effective alternative to PBO. Key words: Botanical synergistics. Cytochrome P-450. Esterases. Piperaceae. ResumoA importância da utilização de sinergistas está relacionada à minimização da quantidade de inseticida químico necessária para o controle de insetos, podendo contribuir com a diminuição da contaminação ambiental e preservação de insetos benéficos. Na busca de uma alternativa ao butóxido de piperonila (PBO), o estudo comparou os efeitos do PBO e do óleo essencial de Piper aduncum L. combinados com os inseticidas cipermetrina, permetrina e esfenvalerato, quanto ao efeito sinérgico e homogeneidade de resposta de larvas de Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797). Inicialmente foram determinadas as doses e concentrações letais (DL 50...

The insecticidal effect of the essential oil of Piper aduncum (EOPA), and of its constituent dillapiole [1-allyl-2,3-dimethoxy-4,5-(methylenedioxy) benzene] in particular, is well documented in the literature and can be associated with its interference with the enzymatic detoxification in arthropods. However, no data exist on the range of dillapiole content associated with insecticidal activity, which is necessary to establish reliable dose-activity parameters for a formulated product. The oil composition can also change during storage after distillation, mainly due to environmental factors such as light incidence, atmospheric oxygen and temperature, which can be deleterious to oil quality. In this study, EOPA subjected to different storage conditions over four years and its rectified fractions were submitted to bioassays to evaluate their insecticidal effect by topical contact and residual contact against Spodoptera frugiperda. Our objectives were to determine the relationship between dillapiole content and the insecticidal activity of EOPA, and to evaluate its chemical and toxicological properties over time under different conditions. Our results showed that EOPA was stable with respect to the dillapiole content and the toxicological effect against S. frugiperda under different storage conditions for four years. The overall chemical composition of the EOPA did not vary significantly among storage conditions. EOPA with dillapiole content ranging between 68% and 100% showed greater insecticidal toxicity by residual and topical contact against S. frugiperda larvae.

Essential oils (EOs) have diverse chemical compositions depending on the plant species used, but the most common constituents present in EOs are mono- and sesquiterpenoids. Such volatile terpenoids have different functions in plant ecology, acting, for example, as chemical defenses against fungi, bacteria, and insects, attracting pollinators, inhibiting germination, and mediating intra- and interspecific plant communication. Mainly terpenoids present the ability to inhibit the main families of detoxifying enzymes of insects, allowing the formulation of botanical insecticides, and using blends of EO compounds considered synergists among themselves. In this case, both combinations of essential oils from different plants and the enrichment of essential oils and/or their fractions with compounds with proven synergistic effects can be considered. This chapter presents research results that indicate synergistic, additive, and antagonistic interactions between terpenoids, indicating that this is one of the main properties considered when formulating insecticides based on commercially available EOs. Considerable advances are still necessary for large-scale production, and limitations related to raw material supply, registration, and, mainly, adequacy of formulations for the control of different targets without phytotoxic effects, are the main challenges to be overcome in the short-term