The effects of pesticides on species of non-target Heteroptera inhabiting cereal fields in southern England.

Abstract

The effects of pesticides on beneficial predatory arthropods have been widely studied; this paper however deals with their effects on Heteroptera, an important beneficial insect group and food source for farmland birds. Field trials were used to evaluate pesticide effects under realistic conditions of application on a commercial arable farm and compared with previously published laboratory findings. Fungicides were found to produce very low levels of mortality, not significantly different from control treatments. Aphicides varied in their impact, producing non-significant to highly significant mortality levels. The likely ecological impact of pesticides on various heteropteran groups found within the field and field boundary is discussed.