Pest Species and Markets

Chlorfenapyr is active against larvae and adults of many pest species, including insects and crop mites in the orders Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Thysanoptera, Iso-ptera, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera and Acarina. Its broad spectrum of activity has provided commercial opportunities for use in control of pests in a wide range of crops, including vegetables, tree fruits, vines, cotton and ornamentals. 

First crop registrations were achieved in Africa in early 1995, followed by Japan with registrations for major crop uses against Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Acari in 1996. The USA non-crop registration for termite control was granted in 2001. 

Uptake of chlorfenapyr is mainly by ingestion and secondarily by contact. Owing to its unique mode of action, chlorfenapyr controls pests resistant to other insecticide chemical classes and no instances of target site cross-resistance have been observed. It exhibits good translaminar movement in plants but very limited systemicity. 

Because of its pro-insecticide properties, requiring conversion into the active insecticidal form by the action of MFOs in the body of the insect, chlorfenapyr has proven to be relatively benign to natural enemies. Field studies in Australia and 

This chapter summarizes the discovery and development of chlorfenapyr, a potent uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation as an insect control agent. This compound shows activity against a broad spectmm of crop and urban pests while having relatively little impact on beneficial insects. 

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