Abstract Methyl bromide is no longer available as a commodity or structural fumigant in many countries, except for quarantine and other critical uses, due to its atmospheric ozone layer-depleting properties. There is a need to find alternatives to methyl bromide to protect dry-cured hams from mold mites, Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank). Residual acaricides may be a means to manage this pest in ham aging rooms, but minimal research has been conducted in this area. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess some commercially available acaricides and insecticides that could serve as a potential protective barrier in a dry-cured ham aging room. The toxicity of twelve acaricides was evaluated in laboratory studies. Four of these acaricides were effective as residual treatments on surfaces. Twenty mites were transferred to vials treated with different concentrations of these chemicals for 24 h. The persistence of these four chemicals was further assessed over an 8-week period by applying the recommended rate to three different surfaces: metal, concrete, and wood. Results indicated that acequinocyl and amitraz were very persistent and effective at killing mites throughout the experiment period. Amitraz was effective at controlling mold mites for 4 to 6 weeks on metal and 6 to 8 weeks on concrete and wood. Further work needs to be studied on a larger scale, simulating a ham aging room, to evaluate the effectiveness of amitraz and acequinocyl in commercial applications.
Manu et al. (Sat,) studied this question.