| Abstract: | The size and number of aerial spray drops impinging on spruce budworm in its conifer forest habitat were determined by means of a new tracer method that uses fluorescent particles in a liquid spray. Examination of 1113 larvae affected by an experimental insecticide that had been applied to a 5000-acre (2024-ha) test area in Montana showed that 93 percent had not been contacted by any droplets larger than 50 micro in diameter. Small numbers of droplets 50 to 100 micro in diameter were found on 7 percent of the larvae, along with lethal numbers of smaller drops. No evidence was found that significant numbers of drops larger than 100 micro reached the target insects. Because about 95 percent of the spray applied to forests by current methods consist of droplets larger than 50 micro, the biologically effective portion of the drop spectrum is only a few percent. The data foreshadow a major potential reduction in insecticide requirements for the successful control of spruce budworm. |
