Bioassay suitable for determining the susceptibility of <em>Meligethes aeneus</em> to organophosphates

Abstract

Bioassay procedures were developed for determining the susceptibility to organophosphates of oilseed rape pollen beetles. Technical-grade and formulated chlorpyrifos-ethyl were tested using single applications of a series of different dosages. The inner wall of glass tubes were treated with these test substances and dried by rotating them on a roller mixer. Larger containers (polypropylene Rotilabo cups) were compared with glass tubes in a separate experiment. The use of technical-grade substances in glass tubes with lids, which allow an exchange of air, is recommended for use in future studies on pollen beetles because they are cheaper, needs less space, are faster to prepare because less time is required for evaporating the solvent and give definite dose response relationships.