de Maeyer, L., Peeters, D., Wijsmuller, J.M., Cantoni, A., Brueck, E., & Heibges, S. 2002 Spirodiclofen: a broad-spectrum acaricide with insecticidal properties: efficacy on Psylla pyri and scales Lepidosaphes ulmi and Quadraspidiotus perniciosus.. The BCPC Conference: Pests and diseases, 2 vols. British Crop Protection Council Farnham, U.K. 1042 pp.

Notes: [Conference held at the Brighton Hilton Metropole Hotel, Brighton, UK, 18-21 November 2002.] Spirodiclofen (Envidor) is an integrated pest management-compliant and high-performance acaricide which belongs to a new chemical class, the tetronic acids. Its acaricidal mode of action is unique as it interferes with lipid biosynthesis, which is unrelated to other currently registered acaricides. Spirodiclofen shows an excellent and long lasting activity against the main harmful mite species. Besides this acaricidal action, spirodiclofen shows interesting insecticidal activity against pear suckers (Psylla pyri [Cacopsylla pyri]) and scale insects (e.g. Lepidosaphes ulmi, Quadraspidiotus perniciosus [Diaspidiotus perniciosus]). In field experiments, a well-timed spirodiclofen treatment, applied at the first main hatching of young orange pear sucker nymphs, provided good control of L1-L3- larvae and inhibited or disrupted the further rapid development to older, dark L4-L5 larvae. The efficacy of spirodiclofen was less temperature-dependent than the current standard amitraz and its long-lasting action is able to protect flowers, fruitlets or shoots for nearly a whole pear-sucker generation. Spirodiclofen application at the beginning of scale crawler migration also provided excellent control of Lepidosaphes ulmi and Quadraspidiotus perniciosus. Spirodiclofen showed no adverse effects on natural predators of pear Psylla: e.g. Anthocoridae. These insecticidal properties enable spirodiclofen to play a key role in a complementary strategy for the control of pear suckers, the main pest in Western European pear growing. The compound also controls scale insects such as Lepidosaphes ulmi (a former secondary pest with increasing significance in pome fruit IPM systems) and Quadraspidiotus perniciosus.