Toxicity of Biopesticides and Synthetic Insecticides to Egg Parasitoid, Trichogramma chilonis Ishii and Coccinellid Predator, Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius)

Toxicity of biopesticides and synthetic insecticides was assayed for egg parasitoid, Trichogramma chilonis Ishii and coccinellid predator, Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabrieius) under laboratory conditions. Neem seed kernel extract (NSKE 5%), custard apple seed extract (CASE 5%), pongamia seed extract (PSE 5%), neem oil (2%) and pongamia oil (2%) were compared with commercial neem formulation (0.2%) for their toxic effect Synthetic insecticides like imidacloprid (0.01%), acetamiprid (0.002%), thiomethoxam (0.02%), profenophos (0.05%), and carbosulfan (0.14%) were compared with monocrotophos (0.05%) for their toxicity to T. chilonis and C. sexmaculata. Most of the botanicals were found safe to T. chilonis and C. sexmaculata. Among six insecticides tested, carbosulfan was found to be highly toxic to T. chilonis and C. sexmaculata, followed by acetamiprid. imidacloprid was relatively less toxic to botb species. Microbial biopesticide, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was also found safe to both species.