ANTIBIOTIC EFFECTS OF C10-C12 FATTY-ACID ESTERS ON PINK-BOLLWORM, BOLLWORM AND TOBACCO BUDWORM

The effects on growth and mortality of larvae of pink bollworm (P. gossypiella, Saunders), bollworm (H. zea, Boddie) and tobacco budworm (H. virescens, F.) of adding selected C10-C12 fatty acid methyl esters to a standard diet were determined. The antibiotic activity of straight chain saturated esters was compared to the activity of esters with an olefinic bond either at C-2 or terminally or with a terminal acetylenic or cyclopropyl group. The ester with the greatest activity was the naturally-occurring compound methyl (Z,Z)-deca-2,8-diene-4,6-diynoate (matricaria ester) which was lethal to all pink bollworm larvae at 0.01% in the diet and lethal to all bollworm and tobacco budworm larvae at 0.05%.