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Spinosad Affects Chemical Communication in the German Cockroach, Blatella germanica (L).

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Abstract

Spinosad is a biopesticide, derived from fermentation by the soil-dwelling actinomycete, Saccharopolyspora spinosa, which is used to control a variety of insects. Spinosad kills a wide range of insect pests when ingested or topically applied, by overexciting the nervous system, yet is harmless to mammals and many predatory insects. Other modes of action of this insecticide have not been documented. Here, we report that a non-lethal dose of spinosad causes adult male and female German cockroach, Blattella germanica, to exhibit altered responses to their aggregation pheromone as well as to have a changed cuticular hydrocarbon profile.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the EGIDE/CMEP Tassili. Project PHC 09mdu758 “InsecTox”. We are indebted to Dr Matthew Cobb for editing of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biologie Animale, University of Annaba, Annaba, Algeria

    Wafa Habbachi, Hanene Bensafi, Yasmine Adjami & Mohamed L. Ouakid

  2. UMR 5548, CNRS - University of Burgundy, Dijon, France

    Jean-Pierre Farine & Claude Everaerts

Authors
  1. Wafa Habbachi
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  2. Hanene Bensafi
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  3. Yasmine Adjami
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  4. Mohamed L. Ouakid
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  5. Jean-Pierre Farine
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  6. Claude Everaerts
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claude Everaerts.

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Habbachi, W., Bensafi, H., Adjami, Y. et al. Spinosad Affects Chemical Communication in the German Cockroach, Blatella germanica (L).. J Chem Ecol 35, 1423–1426 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-009-9722-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-009-9722-5

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