A NEW BIOASSAY METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF RESISTANCE TO PESTICIDES IN THE STORED-PRODUCT MITE ACARUS-SIRO (ACARI, ACARIDAE)

The majority of bioassay methods used for determining the susceptibili ty of the flour mite Acarus sire L. to pesticides provide data which a re difficult to assess. In this new method, the mites are confined on treated, moulded filter papers held in position by two glass sheets to form an escape-proof exposure chamber. The method is simple and uses materials that are likely to be readily available. The dose-response d ata obtained from laboratory and field strains of A. sire to three org anophosphorus-based pesticides are presented. The method provided repe atable results and no significant variation when used by different ope rators. A discriminating dose for the detection of pirimiphos-methyl r esistance is suggested. Exp Appl Acarol 22: 543-552 (C) 1998 Kluwer Ac ademic Publishers.