The negative effect of insecticides on bees has been reported as one of the factors associated with the decline in population of these pollinators. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the response of the stingless bee Nannotrigona aff. testaceicornis (Lepeletier, 1836) to a promising source of new insecticide molecules obtained from Lippia sidoides (rosemary pepper) essential oil (EO) and its major compounds (thymol, ρ-cymene, and (E)-caryophyllene), comparing them to commercial insecticides (organosynthetic: imidacloprid, deltamethrin and semisynthetic: spinetoram). For this, stingless bees were exposed by contact with these compounds to evaluate the lethal and sublethal (locomotion and flight orientation) toxicity. The L. sidoides EO and its major compounds have low lethal toxicity to forager worker bees (N. aff. testaceicornis). The organosynthetics imidacloprid (LD50 =0.00146 µgbee-1) and deltamethrin (LD50 =0.0096 µg bee-1) were about 209,589 and 31,875 times more toxic, respectively, than the least toxic natural compound, (E)-caryophyllene (LD50 =306 µgbee-1). Locomotion ability and flight orientation were little affected by spinetoram and by L. sidoides EO and its major compounds, however, were greatly reduced by the imidacloprid and deltamethrin insecticides. Besides shows low lethal and sublethal toxicity, the bioinsecticides were also avoided by the forager bees. Individuals treated with the L. sidoides EO and thymol were avoided by the untreated bees. Therefore, the natural products studied here were promising due to their recognized effectiveness against pest insects and greater safety to bees N. aff. testaceicornis.

This study investigated the lethal and transgenerational effects of botanical and synthetic insecticides on the egg parasitoid Trichogramma atopovirilia, an important natural enemy of Spodoptera frugiperda in Brazil and beyond. The treatments were assessed for their impact on parasitism, emergence, sex ratio, and flight capacity of adults exposed to contaminated eggs. The botanical insecticide ESAM (ethanolic seed extract of Annona mucosa) significantly reduced the parasitism in the F0 generation by 99.76%, categorizing it as toxic. Anosom® [acetogenins (annonin as a major component)] and Azamax® [limonoids (azadirachtin + 3-tigloilazadirachtol)] also caused substantial reductions (99.13% and 92.36%, respectively) in the parasitism rate. EFAMON (ethanolic leaf extract of Annona montana) reduced the parasitism by 62%, while the synthetic insecticide Premio® (chlorantraniliprole) resulted in a 28.21% reduction. In the F1 generation, emergence rates for EFAMON, Azamax®, and Premio® exceeded 70%, showing no significant differences from the negative control (82%), while Anosom® resulted in a lower emergence rate of 61.39%. No significant effects were observed on sex ratio or parasitism in the F1 and F2 generations. Most adults reached high flight capacity (above 80%). These results indicate that while ESAM was toxic, the other treatments showed no transgenerational effects. Our findings contribute to understanding insecticide selectivity and highlight the importance of such studies for the sustainable management of S. frugiperda within integrated pest management programs.

To achieve sustainability in agricultural pest management, it is essential to integrate chemical and biological control through selectivity studies. In this study, we evaluated the lethal and sublethal effects of both botanical and synthetic insecticides used for controlling the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on its natural enemy Doru luteipes (Scudder) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae). For this purpose, bioassays of mortality, behavior, and transgenerational effects were conducted. Botanical insecticides rich in acetogenins and limonoids caused less than 30% mortality in D. luteipes nymphs (2nd, 3rd, and 4th instars). In contrast, chlorantraniliprole-based insecticide (Premio®) was highly toxic, presenting mortality above 80% at all nymphal stages and reducing predation capacity by 55.97% and walking velocity by 28.44% compared to the control. Aqueous emulsion of the ethanolic extract from Annona mucosa seeds (ESAM) reduced the longevity of the adults to 88.88 days. Chlorantraniliprole resulted in the shortest pre-oviposition period (9.44 days), followed by a limonoids-based botanical insecticide (Azamax®) (11.00 days). Fourth-instar nymphs of the F₁ generation showed lower viability (54.54%) in the treatment with aqueous emulsion of the methanolic fraction from Annona montana leaves (EFAMON). The annonin-based commercial botanical insecticide (Anosom®) affected life table parameters, reducing the intrinsic growth rate (r_m = 0.039) and finite rate of increase (λ = 1.04). These findings indicate that botanical insecticides are less hazardous to the natural enemy D. luteipes than synthetic insecticide. This study provides important insights for improving pest control while preserving natural enemies.