Sublethal effects of deltamethrin and propoxur on longevity and reproduction of German cockroaches, Blattella germanica

Abstract

AbstractThe effects of sublethal doses of deltamethrin and propoxur, applied topically at LD10, LD30 and LD50 on German cockroaches, were studied by reciprocal crossing. Male and female longevities decreased curvilinearly with increasing sublethal doses of deltamethrin, and decreased linearly with increasing sublethal doses of propoxur. Fecundity of females treated with deltamethrin and propoxur was reduced with increasing sublethal doses of both insecticides. Oothecal production, oothecal hatchability and nymphal production also declined with increasing doses of deltamethrin and propoxur. Preoviposition and incubation periods were not affected by sublethal doses of deltamethrin and propoxur, although some significant differences were observed at certain oothecal numbers. Two‐way analysis of variance indicated that only treated females showed an effect on oothecal production while oothecal hatch and nymphal production were governed by both treated females and males. Insecticide susceptibility tests on the progeny of parents treated with sublethal doses demonstrated that these doses did not increase insecticidal tolerance in the F1 generation.