Efficacy of Insecticides Targeting Cotton Aphids and Impact on Key Aphid Predators

The insecticides Bidrin at 8 fl-oz, Carbine at 1.5 oz, Centric at 2 oz, Intruder at 0.75 fl-oz and Trimax Pro at 1.8 fl-oz were evaluated for activity towards cotton aphids in cotton in Lubbock, Texas.  By 5 DAT (days after treatment) all of the insecticides had reduced the aphid populations statistically lower than the check.  However, Trimax Pro was not significantly as effective as the other insecticides.  It appeared that Trimax Pro had good activity on aphids in the plant terminal area, but was ineffective on aphids in the mid to lower canopy.  Predator counts indicated that at 3 DAT, lady beetle larvae were fewest in the Trimax Pro plots, but did not statistically differ from Centric or Carbine.  The number of lady beetle larvae in the Bidrin and Carbine plots did not differ from the untreated.