Formulating hexamine, mineral oil,  mixture and evaluation of its insecticidal activity against Papaya Mealybug <i>Paracoccus marginatus</i> (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) under laboratory conditions

Hexamine is a heterocyclic organic chemical that has a wide range of applications. It is primarily employed as an anti-infective agent to treat urinary tract infections. Mineral oils are refined petroleum-based hydrocarbon blends of aromatic oils, paraffins, and naphthenes. Cutting and grinding fluids are made with mineral oils with a wide range of compositions. This research paper's primary goal was to formulate hexamine, mineral oil, and their combination in appropriate formulation types and assess their biological activity against papaya mealybug Paracoccus marginatus. The mineral oil was formulated as an emulsifiable concentrate (EC), hexamine as a soluble powder (SP), and its mixture as oil in water emulsion (EW). All developed formulations passed all tests that the WHO and FAO had prescribed for these types of formulations. Biological tests were conducted in the laboratory using serial concentrations (0.125, 0.25, 0.50, and 1%) on P. marginatus nymphs and adults. Mineral oil and hexamine mixture (EW) formulation demonstrated the highest activity against P. marginatus, nymphs and adults, followed by hexamine (SP) formulation and then the mineral oil (EC) formulation. Their LC50 values were, respectively, 0.0509, 0.0653, and 0.1015 for nymphs and 0.0513, 0.0767, and 0.1224 % for adults. Also, the efficacy of these formulations displayed a higher effect on nymphs than adults. After completing the necessary research, these new formulations may be applied in the field after trial to control the papaya mealybug, P. marginatus.