Toxicity of Pesticides to Mycophagous Ladybrid, Illeis koebelei Timberlake (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Halyziini)

Imidacloprid Movement into Fungal Conidia is Lethal to Mycophagous Beetles

“…The ecosystem-level impacts of direct and indirect exposure to lethal doses of systemic insecticides is still being explored. Several studies have explored the tritrophic movement of systemic insecticides and the subsequent disruption of natural predators and parasitoids (Calvo-Agudo et al, 2019;Grafton-Cardwell & Gu, 2003;Lee et al, 2017;Put et al, 2016;Tappert et al, 2017). While some studies demonstrated the lethal impacts of direct applications of pesticides to mycophagous beetles (Lee et al, 2017;Sutherland et al, 2010), our study showed that indirect exposure to imidacloprid through the fungal food source can also rapidly lead to death in mycophagous beetles.…”

“…Several studies have explored the tritrophic movement of systemic insecticides and the subsequent disruption of natural predators and parasitoids (Calvo-Agudo et al, 2019;Grafton-Cardwell & Gu, 2003;Lee et al, 2017;Put et al, 2016;Tappert et al, 2017). While some studies demonstrated the lethal impacts of direct applications of pesticides to mycophagous beetles (Lee et al, 2017;Sutherland et al, 2010), our study showed that indirect exposure to imidacloprid through the fungal food source can also rapidly lead to death in mycophagous beetles. Widespread measurements of reductions in insect diversity and abundance have recently been attributed to intensive agricultural activities and associated pesticide inputs (Sánchez-Bayo & Wyckhuys, 2019); it's possible that trophic movement of water-soluble toxins, as observed in our study, play a part in this global problem.…”

“…Imidacloprid products are labeled for use against many phytophagous pests in agricultural and urban landscapes, such as piercing/sucking insects, bark burrowers, and chewing beetle larvae, but activity is evident on a wide range of arthropods. Direct toxicity has been shown not only to common target pests such as aphids and whiteflies (Qu et al, 2015;Smith et al, 2016), but also to beneficial insects such as coccinellid beetles (Lee et al, 2017), hymenopteran parasitoids (Tappert et al, 2017), and predatory mites (Put et al, 2016).…”

Imidacloprid Movement into Fungal Conidia Is Lethal to Mycophagous Beetles

“…The ecosystem-level impacts of direct and indirect exposure to lethal doses of systemic insecticides is still being explored. Several studies have explored the tri-trophic movement of systemic insecticides and the subsequent disruption of natural predators and parasitoids [ 4 , 6 , 7 , 10 , 11 ]. While some studies demonstrated the lethal impacts of the direct applications of pesticides to mycophagous beetles [ 4 , 24 ], our study showed that indirect exposure to imidacloprid through the fungal food source can also rapidly lead to death in mycophagous beetles.…”

“…Imidacloprid, the first commercially successful neonicotinoid, is labeled for use against many phytophagous pests in agricultural and urban landscapes, such as piercing/sucking insects, bark burrowers, and chewing beetle larvae, but its activity is evident on a wide range of arthropods [2]. Direct toxicity has been shown not only to affect common target pests such as aphids and whiteflies [3], but also to negatively impact beneficial insects such as coccinellid beetles [4,5], hymenopteran parasitoids [6], and predatory mites [7]. A growing body of literature exists documenting the direct and indirect effects of imidacloprid and other neonicotinoids against pollinator insects [8,9].…”