Laboratory Evaluation of Relative Toxicities of Some Insecticides Against Trichogramma chilonis (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) and Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

Laboratory experiment was conducted to compare the relative toxicity of biopesticides like Pseudomonas fluorescens strain pfl and neem oil with imidacloprid, quinalphos, and endosulfan against an egg parasitoid, Trichogramma chilonis, and a predatory green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea. Biopesticides were safer than chemical insecticides in minimizing harmful effects on development and behavior of two natural enemies. P. fluorescens treatment recorded high parasitism (≈ 73 %) and parasitoid egg development (≈ 72 %) of T. chilonis. It also gave high egg (≈ 75 %) development on C. carnea. Neem oil recorded 58.9 % parasitoid eme-crgence, and 59.3 % parasitism, and 63.1 % egg hat-hability. Other chemical insecticides exhibited high damages on the natural enemies.