EFFECTS OF THE CHEMOSTERILANT THIOTEPA ON THE PEA APHID, ACYRTHOSIPHON PISUM (HOMOPTERA: APHIDIDAE)

Abstract

In an evaluation of several chemosterilants for insect control Borkovec (1972) stresses their safe handling. The compound tris (l-ziridinyl) phosphine sulphide, trivial name thiotepa, is currently being tested as a sterilant against several insects. More recently, Terry et al. (1977) noticed a 99 to 100% sterility in boll weevils treated with thiotepa. When 0- to 24-h-old pupae of Trogoderma granarium Everts were dipped in 1% thiotepa for 8 min only 0.1% of their eggs hatched (Chaudhary and Kapil 1977). The males of Earias vitella F. were also sterilized when their pupae were dipped in 0.5 to 0.75% thiotepa (Singh et al. 1978). Finally, no eggs hatched when Dysdercus koenigii (F.) was topically treated with 4 pg of thiotepa per insect (Govindan and Pillai 1977).