Acaricide toxicity and resistance in larvae of different strains of Tetranychus urticae and Panonychus ulmi (Acari: Tetranychidae)

The toxicities of eight structurally different acaricidal compounds to six‐legged larvae (first motile stage) of three laboratory strains of the two‐spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, and the European red mite, Panonychus ulmi, were evaluated following spray application. The larvae of five field‐derived strains of T urticae originating from France, Italy, Brazil, California and Florida were also tested for their susceptibilities to discriminating concentrations of several acaricides resulting in 95% mortality when applied to the organophosphate‐resistant laboratory reference strain WI. The spray bioassay used was robust and gave repeatable results with a wide range of acaricidal compounds, irrespective of their mode of action (ovo‐larvicides or primarily acting on motile life stages). Compounds tested were abamectin, azocyclotin, chlorpyrifos, clofentezine, deltamethrin, fenpyroximate, hexythiazox and pyridaben. Larvae of one of the laboratory strains of T urticae, AK, originally collected in Japan in 1996 and maintained without further selection pressure, exhibited 2000‐ and >4000‐fold resistance to the mitochondrial electron transport inhibitors pyridaben and fenpyroximate, respectively. Another strain of T urticae, AU, obtained from Australia and maintained in the laboratory under selection with hexythiazox and clofentezine since 1987 showed >770‐ and >1000‐fold resistance to clofentezine and hexythiazox, respectively. The same resistance pattern was observed against larvae of a laboratory strain of P ulmi, CE, also selected with hexythiazox. Larvae of one of the field‐derived strains of T urticae, BR, showed a lower susceptibility to a number of compounds, whilst the others were susceptible to all compounds except the organophosphates. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry