Insecticide resistance is frequently associated with field control failure, but such an assessment of its likelihood seldom occurs. This phenomenon is a potential cause of the control failure of the tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae); therefore we surveyed insecticide resistance as the control failure likelihood for a duration of 7 years in 20 field populations of this species. The insecticide label rate was used as the discriminating concentration, and the minimum efficacy threshold required for insecticides in Brazil (i.e. 80% efficacy) was the targeted efficacy. The spatial and temporal variations of the control failure likelihood were also assessed, as was the potential influence of land topography for the area‐wide pattern observed. Most populations of T. absoluta were susceptible to abamectin, chlorfenapyr and spinosad and not to bifenthrin, triflumuron and teflubenzuron. The indoxacarb susceptibility varied in space and time. Spatial dependence was observed for abamectin and indoxacarb. The control failure likelihood of T. absoluta was higher for bifenthrin, triflumuron and teflubenzuron. A flat topography and the wind direction may favour the spread of the control failure likelihood and should be considered in designing pest management programs for T. absoluta.

This study assessed the transgenerational effects of insecticides in developing Trichogramma galloi (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Laboratory bioassays were performed in which five insecticides were sprayed on egg-larval, pre-pupal and pupal stages of the parasitoid. The interaction between insecticides and development stages of the parasitoid was not significant for the rate of F0 emergence. All insecticides significantly reduced the emergence of wasps, with the lowest emergence observed when they were applied to the pupal stage. For the sex ratio, only spinosad applied to the pre-pupal stage and triflumuron applied on the egg-larval and pre-pupal stages did not differ from the controls. Triflumuron applied to pre-pupae did not lead to any difference in the parasitism rate of the treated generation (F0) when compared to the control. There were no significant differences among survival curves for females of F0 when all insecticides were sprayed on the egg-larval stage. Both concentrations of lambda-cyhalothrin + thiamethoxam reduced female pre-pupal survival, and all treatments reduced female pupal survival. In addition, we observed a transgenerational effect of the insecticides on emergence and sex ratio of next generation (F1). Lambda-cyhalothrin + thiamethoxam (Min) applied to the pre-pupae and pupae, the maximum rate of the same insecticides applied to the egg-larvae and pre-pupae, and spinosad applied to pre-pupae all significantly reduced the adults emergence of T. galloi F1 generation. Only triflumuron did not alter the F1 sex ratio. These bioassays provide a basis for better understanding the effects of insecticide use on beneficial parasitoids.

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