CHEMICAL CONTROL OF THE NARCISSUS BULB FLY, LAMPETIA EQUESTRIS (F.), IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
The narcissus bulb fly, Lampetia equestris (F.), was controlled on southern Vancouver Island with insecticides applied by four methods at planting time to narcissus bulbs grown in sandy loam soils of pH 5.9 to 6.5.Soaking bulbs for 1.5 hours in hot-water (110° F.) and formalin mixture as for control of the bulb nematode, with heptachlor emulsifiable concentrate added at 2, 4, or 10 lb. of toxicant per 1,000 gal. gave 100 per cent control for the 2 years tested. Soaking the bulbs for 10 minutes in cold water containing emulsifiable concentrates of dieldrin or heptachlor at 3 lb. of toxicant per 100 gal., or of aldrin or chlordane at 5 lb., gave 93 to 98.5 per cent control for 3 years; DDT at 5 lb. and lindane at 0.5 lb. were not effective. A dust of dieldrin at 3 lb. of toxicant per acre, of aldrin or heptachlor at 5 lb., or of chlordane 10 lb. applied to the bulbs in the open furrow gave 95 to 99 per cent control for 3 years; lindane at 1 lb. did not give satisfactory control. A spray containing an emulsifiable concentrate of dieldrin at 1 lb. of toxicant per 100 gal. per acre, of aldrin or heptachlor at 2 lb., or of chlordane at 5 lb. gave 91 to 96 per cent control for the 2 years tested. The soil in this test had the highest organic matter content (13 per cent); the others were moderately high with 5 to 8 per cent. Lindane in the cold-water soak treatment was the only insecticide that adversely affected bulb growth.