Hydroprene: Mode of action, current status in stored-product pest management, insect resistance, and future prospects

The insect growth regulator (IGR) hydroprene is a juvenile hormone analogue used in urban and stored-product insect control programs in the United States and in other developed countries. Hydroprene can be considered as an alternative to conventional insecticides because of its specific activity against immature insect stages, low persistence in the environment, and virtually non-toxic effects on mammals. Several published records demonstrate the excellent potential of hydroprene to control many stored-product insects. However, there are concerns of insect resistance to all insecticides, including IGRs. We review the mode of action of hydroprene in insects, examine how hydroprene is used in agricultural and urban pest management systems, describe research with hydroprene in stored-product pest management, and discuss potential mechanisms by which insects could develop resistance to this chemical. We also identify potential areas of further research with hydroprene that include, but are not limited to, the estimation of effects of hydroprene on different flooring surfaces, evaluation of multiple methods of hydroprene application in a facility, identification of other control methods to be used in combination with hydroprene, identification of specific life stages of stored-product insects that are especially vulnerable to hydroprene, and inclusion of the effects of hydroprene in stored-product insect population models.