Chemosensory inhibitors against agricultural and disease-transmitting insect pests

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Insect pests, such as flour beetles and mosquitoes, cause significant damage to food crops and transmit disease. Other insects, however, are vital. E. g., bees pollinate billions of dollars of crops, and parasitoids (solitary wasps) parasitize pest insects. Insecticides, the most common control against insects, are effective only if the majority of insects are susceptible, and they not only kill the susceptible pests, but also beneficial organisms. Furthermore, halogenated insecticides (e. g. DDT) are accumulating in the environment. Human population densities are increasing, and this increases the risk of insect-transmitted disease. The demand for food, fibres, fuel and chemicals will increasingly be satisfied by products from agricultural sources. These changes require the development of sustainable, effective insect control measures. We propose to research behavioural modulators (deterrents, masking agents or attractants) as insect control agents. Insect life cycles are exquisitely controlled by chemical cues from the environment and from members of each species. We propose to build on our discovery of non-halogenated compounds that significantly alter the behavioural responses of pest moths to their natural cues. We will focus on the behaviour of the insect that causes crop damage or disease transmission and on compounds that do not cause acute toxicity to the insect. Target insects for this study are: the red flour beetle (a problem for the food industry), malaria mosquito and beneficial insects (honey bees and parasitoids). We will synthesize compounds and test them against pest