Effect of temperature and grain type on the long‐term persistence and efficacy of s‐methoprene in controlling Rhyzopertha dominica

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of methoprene can vary with surface substrates, application methods and environmental conditions. The objectives of the present study were to examine the effects of temperature and grain type on the long‐term persistence and efficacy of methoprene in controlling Rhyzopertha dominica from Guangzhou, China. RESULTS: Methoprene applied at 1 mg kg‐¹ caused >90% suppression of F₁ adult progeny of R. dominica for 150–270 days. Temperature and grain type both influenced the long‐term persistence of methoprene. Overall multivariate analysis of variance showed that the order of progeny reduction at different temperatures (°C) was: 24 > 28 > 32 > 36; the order of the progeny reduction on the different grains was: paddy > wheat and maize. CONCLUSION: The results of our experiments show the maximum effect of methoprene for R. dominica control at 24 °C on paddy. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry