• Randall, A.P.
  Chemical control Section
  

The control of bud infesting insects presents a problem to which the systemic insecticides theoretically offer a promise of solution. The systemic action of some organophosphorus insecticides has been well demonstrated on many agricultural crops. An excellent bibliography on these and other systemic insecticides has been complied by Giang (1954). Anderson (1955), reported mortality of eastern tent caterpillars, Malacosoma americanunt (F.). when fed on leaves from wild cherry seedling grown in soil treated parathion. Recently, Norris (1960) and Coppel and Norris (1960-1961), reported that some of the newer organophosphorus insecticides show a high degree of insecticidal action in both elm and white pine. In 1960 Dever and Davis reported success of phosphamidon against gyspy moth larvae feeding on white pine. This gave further indication that a systemic insecticide might be effective to deoliators on other conifers. Other investigators have shown that the absorption characteristics of systemic insecticides vary greatly with the soil type, absorption being greatest in sandy soils ( Getzin and Chapman 1959, 1960) Zaki and Reynolds (1961). these findings may be of practical imoprtance in forest insect control since many forest sites are either rocky, sandy, or submarginal agricultural lands, and hence insecticide spray residues of this type may be reabsorbed into the tree.

The purpose of the present investigation was to test formulations of dimethoate, phosphamidon and menazon as systemic insecticides against spruce budworm larvae and to compare the findings of laboratory tests with aerial spray experiments on budworm-infested forests in New Brunswick.