Historically, the control of stored-product insects has mostly relied on the use of fumigants such as methyl bromide (MB) and phosphine. However, methyl bromide is no longer used for structural fumigations, and phosphine insecticide resistance is rising globally. Methyl benzoate (MBe) is a new green pesticide that occurs naturally as a metabolite in plants. In this study, we evaluated the the potential use of MBe as a fumigant against a variety of stored-product insects. According to our laboratory findings, MBe showed strong fumigation toxicity against the Indian meal moth and flat grain beetle with an LC50 value of 0.1 μL/L and 0.76 μL/1.5 L air, respectively, compared to the other tested insects. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in susceptibility levels between the lab strain and the phosphine-resistant lesser grain borer and rice weevil. However, the red flour beetle had the highest LC50 value of 8.26 μL/1.5 L air. Overall, MBe seems to be a highly promising candidate for the development of environmentally-friendly alternative fumigants.

• Md Munir Mostafiz(Agricultural Science and Technology Research Institute, Kyungpook National University) Corresponding author
• Kyeong-Yeoll Lee(Agricultural Science and Technology Research Institute, Kyungpook National University, Department of Plant Medicine, Kyungpook National University)