Modification of Feeding Behavior of Myzus persicae (Homoptera: Aphididae) by Selected Compounds

An electronic feeding monitor was used to examine the feeding behavior of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), on lettuce, Lactuca sativa L. ‘Empire’ sprayed with a number of behavior-modifying compounds. The number of probing events recorded per hour was significantly higher on plants treated with an insecticidal soap(M-Pede), azadirachtin (Margosan-O), and an acrylic copolymer (Forevergreen) than on controls. Ingestion events occurred significantly less often on plants treated with nicotine sulfate (Black Leaf 40), the acrylic copolymer, and the insecticidal soap than on control plants. Aphids spent significantly more time in preprobing activities on plants treated with the acrylic copolymer compared with the untreated control. Aphid feeding behavior on plants treated with sabadilla was not significantly different from that on plants treated with distilled water. The use of these results in an IPM context is discussed.