Comparative Toxicity of Certain Insecticides to Predatory Coccinellids Associated with Sucking Pests of Groundnut in Saurashtra

Comparative toxicity of various systemic insecticides and malathion was assessed against two - predatory coccinellids Menochilus sexmaculatus Fabricius and Coccinella septempuneta Linnaeus associated with sucking pests on groundnut at Junagadh during 1979–81. Thiometon spray against the sucking pests of groundut at 0 03 and 0.05% was found to be significantly safer to the coccinellids f0llowcd by demton-o-methyl. Malathion 0 05% was highly toxic to both the coccinellids. The comparative toxicity to coecinollids in ascending order was thiometon> demeton-o-methyl> phosphamidon> monocrotophos> dimethoate> malathion.