Long-lasting insecticide nets (LLIN), which have insecticide molecules incorporated within the fibres, are widely use to control malaria and other insect-vectored diseases. Only recently have researchers begun exploring them to control agricultural pests.
Entomologists from the Virginia Polytechnic at the Blacksburg University (Virginia, USA) assessed the toxicity of a delthametrin-incorporated LLINs to control the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). In this specific case, researchers tested a ZeroFly® net developed by Vestergaard–Frandsen (Lausanne, Switzerland).
In the lab, exposure to the ZeroFly net for 10 seconds led to the death of over 90% of H. halys nymphs and of over 40% of adults. In another experiment, a ZeroFly sheet inserted into a trap enabled to kill the adults with the same or even better effectiveness of standard dichlorvos strips.
"Our experiments proved ZeroFly nets are rather toxic for H. halys. They have a lethal dose of delthametrin and an exposure from a few seconds to a few minutes is lethal to the insects. Additional research is currently underway. In particular, using these nets combined with aggregation pheromones seems to be a promising device to attract and kill the insect. ZeroFly and other LLIN nets present great potential for the management of harmful insects."
Source: T. P. Kuhar, B.D. Short, G. Krawczyk, T. C. Leskey, 'Deltamethrin-Incorporated Nets as an Integrated Pest Management Tool for the Invasive Halyomorphahalys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)', 2017, Journal of Economic Entomology, doi: 10.1093/jee/tow321.