**3. Pest control**

Spirotetramat is an insecticide that targets sucking insects in their juvenile stage such as aphids (*Aphis spp*., *Myzus spp*., *Dysaphis* spp., *Toxoptera spp*., *Phorodon humuli*), rice aphids (*Phylloxera spp*.), psyllids (*Psylla spp*., *Paratrioza cockerelli*), mealybugs (*Pseudococcus spp*., *Planococcus spp*.), and whiteflies (*Bemisia spp*., *Trialeurodes vaporariorum*). Table 1 lists the studies into the relationship of the effectiveness of spirotetramat in different insects [1, 6].

As mentioned earlier, the aphicide activity of spirotetramat is effective in the immature stages where incomplete ecdysis can be observed, the insect cannot completely shed its exoskeleton, thus impeding its growth; however, what has been observed in nymphs is that they appear to be immobile and they dry up quickly. The efficacy of spirotetramat on adult insects is reduced due to their mobility; they tend to produce nymphs that die within 24 hours or the nymphs are non-fertile, thus reducing the procreation and fertility of the future generations [7]. Spirotetramat has demonstrated excellent efficacy on peach, cotton, and plum aphids that are 3-4 days old. It has also been observed that on female adult whiteflies (*B tabacco*) treated with spirotetramat (40 and 200 ppm), the number of eggs produced is a function of the applied doses (major reduction 90% and 60%), including a concentration of 8 ppm, 80% of the eggs do not hatch. It was also observed that the way of contact of the insecticide influences its effectiveness on the control of the insects; it has a major effect if spirotetramat is ingested orally than if it is by direct contact with the insect [1, 8].

Another laboratory study suggested that spirotetramat can be utilized in a safe integrated pest management program for the control of the cabbage aphid, as there is less mortality in comparison of other insecticides of the marmalade hoverfly *Episyrphus balteatus*, which is a natural aphid predator; furthermore, the fertility of the treated adult syrphids is not affected [9]. In another study to determine the collateral damage of spirotetramat on the wasp *Anagyrus*, a grapevine mealybug parasite, it was found that there was no detectable mortality on the parasite after 24 hours of application; there were no adverse effects on the development of the parasite in the pupa stage inside the mummified mealybug, nor were there any effects on the emergence of the new *Anagyrus* [10]. It must be pointed out that in an integrated pest management program where the arthropod *Galendromus occidentalis* is used for biological control*,* the use of spirotetramat is not recommended given that at concentrations of 0.228 g a.i.L-1, there was a mortality rate of 90% for the eggs, and 100% for the larvae [11]. This was also similar for the toxicity results for *Tamarixia radiata*, a parasitoid of citrus Asian psyllid (*Diaphorina citri Kuwayama*), that with an application dose of 0.8 mL L-1 with water did not present favorable conditions for its development and it was highly toxic [12].


\*a.i. Active ingredient

\*L. C. Laboratory conditions

**Table 1.** Organisms controlled with spirotetramat under different conditions.
