| Abstract: | The Carabid Beetle Laboratory Test using Poecilus cupreus (L.) was developed for the assessment of effects of pesticides on beneficial arthropods and is now available as an official guideline published by the BBA and the IOBC for the registration of pesticides. In this contribution some of the experiences in performing the test are summarized. In total, 126 compounds (mainly herbicides) were tested in 190 test runs (including water controls). In this acute laboratory test, the three parameters mortality, behaviour and feeding rate are investigated. Due to experiences with other ecotoxicological tests a one-way Analysis of Variance or ANOVA, followed by a Bonferroni Test, was used for the statistical evaluation of the feeding rates. The results presented here show that a statistical evaluation of the feeding data is possible and that this parameter is useful for the assessment of side-effects of chemicals for these predatory arthropods. In testing the reference substance pyrazophos (formulation: ‘Afugan’ 294 g litre−1 EC) the mortality varied considerably. It is proposed that at a given value (30%) for effects on the mortality and the feeding rate, a test substance should be tested in a semi-field or field situation. |
