

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



j&r^su 



BULLETIN No. 938 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER. 



May 17, 1921 



EFFECTS OF NICOTINE SULPHATE AS AN OVICIDE AND 

 LARVICIDE ON THE CODLING MOTH AND THREE 

 OTHER INSECTS. 



By N. E. McIndoo, Insect Physiologist; F. L. Simanton, 1 Entomological Assist- 

 ant; H. K. Plank and R. J. Fiske, Scientific Assistants, Fruit Insect 

 Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Experiments conducted in the labora- 

 tory 2 



Effects of nicotine sulphate on 

 eggs and newly hatched larvae 



of the silkworm moth 2 



Effects of nicotine sulphate on 

 eggs and newly hatched larvae 



of the codling moth 4 



Effects of nicotine sulphate on 



eggs of two other insects 8 



Discussion as to how nicotine 

 sulphate acts as an ovicide 

 and larvicide 10 



Page. 

 Experiments conducted in the labora- 

 tory — Continued. 



Summary of experiments con- 

 ducted in laboratory 14 



Experiments conducted in orchards_ 15 

 Experiments performed at Ben- 

 ton Harbor, Mich 15 



Experiments performed at 



Grand Junction, Colo 16 



Experiments performed at Ros- 



well, N. M 17 



Conclusions from field experi- 

 ments 18 



Literature cited 18 



INTRODUCTION. 



For several years nicotine and its compounds have been used 

 against certain soft-bodied insects as contact insecticides, and within 

 the past few years the question has been raised concerning the effects 

 of nicotine sulphate upon the eggs and early instars of other insects 

 which are commonly controlled by other means. 



During 1915 and 1916, in the State of Washington, De Sellem (^) 2 

 carried on field experiments with nicotine sulphate and arsenate of 

 lead and claimed that the former insecticide was as efficient as the 

 latter one for controlling the codling moth (Laspeyresia pomonella 

 L.). During the season of 1917 similar experiments in three or- 

 chards were performed by the same author and others (#) on a larger 

 scale in the same State, and the results obtained showed that nicotine 



1 Resigned March 31, 1920. 



2 Numbers (italic) in parentheses refer 



22660°— 21— Bull. 938 1 



to " Literature cited," p. 18. 



