Pesticide Toxicology Laboratory

The effects of Bt israelensis (Vectobac-G) on waterfowl macro-invertebrate food sources were evaluated using field and laboratory studies. Field studies found no reduction major taxa of benthic invertebrates. However, laboratory tests showed that Chironomidae were affected by application of Vectobac-G. Additional toxicity testing found that efficacy of Vectobac-G was affected by temperature, larval instar, water depth, and water surface area coverage by macrophytes. This suggests that Vectobac-G efficacy is reduced in the environment to a point that it does not adversely affect chironomids.