Modifications of the sex pheromonal communication of Trichogramma brassicae by a sublethal dose of deltamethrin

Pyrethroid insecticides, by their intensive use and their persistence that can exceed 3 months, largely contribute to the environmental pollution. In this work, we determined the effects of a very low dose of deltamethrin on the sex pheromonal communication of Trichogramma brassicae. The dose used was a dose that would theoretically kill one insect over 1000 (an LD 0.1). We found that this dose slightly but very significantly increased the arrestment behavior of treated males responding to the female pheromone. On the other hand when females were exposed to the same dose of insecticide, the response of males to their pheromone was very significantly decreased. In Trichogramma, like in other insects, sex pheromonal communication probably involves nervous transmissions both for the reception and the emission of the pheromone. Then, the sublethal effects of deltamethrin, observed in this work, are certainly due to multiple actions of this insecticide on nervous transmissions. Trichogramma is a beneficial insect that contributes to the control of pest populations of moths. Actions of this insecticide at a dose that can correspond to environmental pollution could be a real threat to the equilibrium of these populations. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.