Larvicidal activity of diflubenzuron in the tsetse fly

Abstract

THE insecticides used in control operations against tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) have so far been almost exclusively organo-chlorine compounds, which kill the adult insect. Because of the possibility of the development of resistance to these compounds and as they may eventually become unavailable or unacceptable because of their persistence in the environment, a variety of possible new insecticides for tsetse control have been evaluated¹. Dimilin, diflubenzuron, (N-{{(4-chlorophenyl)amino }carbonyl }-2,6-difluorobenzamide), is one of a range of insect growth regulators (IGRs) which interfere with chitin synthesis^2,3 and, specifically, when applied to the adult female, inhibit egg hatch. Such effects have been reported for many pest insects, including a number of oviparous species of Diptera such as the house fly, Musca domestica L.⁴, stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans L.⁴, horn fly, Haematobia irritans L.⁵, black fly, Simulium vittatum Zetterstedt⁶, various mosquitoes⁷ and chironomid midges⁸. Results reported here indicate the potential of a new range of compounds such as diflubenzuron which might be employed against Glossina in the future and which, following application to the adult female fly, act as a larvicide.