title: Activity of flonicamid on the sweet potato whitely Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and its natural enemies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Flonicamid is a novel systemic insecticide that acts as a feeding blocker with potential use against whiteflies within IPM control tactics. Flonicamid efficacy against Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean populations from Crete was examined, as well as side effects on selected beneficials used extensively in current IPM schemes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Low variability in adulticide activity was detected (<tenfold), while there was no resistance compared with a reference susceptible population. Flonicamid exhibited low to no insecticidal activity on eggs, emerging crawlers and second-instar nymphs at the maximum registered label rate (RLRmax ). In long-term cage experiments, flonicamid at the RLRmax (125 mg L(-1)) caused 95% mortality to whiteflies 10 days after treatment and delayed population growth by one generation (32 days). Flonicamid significantly delayed nymphal development by increasing the development time (DT50 ) of treated insects by 7.2 days. Flonicamid did not affect the survival of Eretmocerus eremicus adults, while lethal effects of an intermediate level were observed on Nesidiocoris tenuis adults and nymphs, Amblyseius swirskii adults and preimaginal stages of E. eremicus. Flonicamid reduced the feeding activity (consumption of B. tabaci eggs) of N. tenuis and A. swirskii by 28 and 37% respectively. Moreover, the fecundity of A. swirskii was reduced by 36% after exposure to flonicamid.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Flonicamid is an effective tool for the management of B. tabaci populations from Crete, and initial studies indicate that it could be combined with B. tabaci natural enemies.
authors.affiliation: Hellenic Agricultural Organisation 'Demeter', NAGREF, Plant Protection Institute of Heraklion, Laboratory of Entomology, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roditakis
authors.forename: Natasa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fytrou
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Staurakaki
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vontas
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsagkarakou
mesh_terms: D000053:Acari; D000818:Animals; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006115:Greece; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D020062:Heteroptera; D006927:Hymenoptera; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D009536:Niacinamide / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity; D009758:Nymph / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D009536:Niacinamide; C524822:flonicamid
keywords: Amblyseius swirskii; Bemisia tabaci; Eretmocerus eremicus; Mediterranean; Nesidiocoris tenuis; flonicamid; side effects