The Extermination Effect of a Volatile Insecticide, Allyl Isothiocyanate（AITC）, on Stem Borer Moth Larvae, <i>Endoclita excrescens</i>（Lepidoptera: Hepialidae）, That Chemical Solutions Cannot Reach

Stem borers are important insect pests that cause serious damage to trees by their larvae boring into the interior of trees. Although chemical control using aerosol spray insecticides is recommended for stem-boring insect pests, the chemicals often do not reach the larvae hidden in complicated pores, thereby reducing their extermination effectiveness. Because the pores are semi-closed spaces, volatile insecticides are expected to reach the larvae hidden deep within the complex pores. Therefore, we conducted a model test to demonstrate the effectiveness of extermination of the stem boring moth larvae, Endoclita excrescens（Butler）（Lepidoptera: Hepialidae）, hiding deeply in the holes where the insecticide spray cannot be directly reached using AITC containing agents, which have insecticidal effects and high volatility, and the non volatile insecticide containing clothianidin and fenpropathrin. The results showed that the AITC preparation had a significantly higher extermination effect on moth larvae than the non-volatile insecticidal preparation or the control（no insecticide preparation）. This suggested that volatile insecticides could effectively exterminate borer insect pests in areas that cannot be reached by chemical solutions.