Fatty acids and their potassium soaps were screened for their toxicity to different life stages and eggs of the balsam woolly aphid (Adelgespiceae (Ratz.)). The most effective fatty acids for causing aphid mortality were in two major groups, one centering around capric acid (C10) within the low-chain saturated fatty acid series and the other around oleic acid (C18:1), within the unsaturated 18-carbon fatty acids. The potassium soaps were better aphicides than the corresponding acids; the soaps of caprylic, capric, oleic, and linoleic acids were the most effective. Eggs were less sensitive to the soaps than later stages of the aphid, and there was a large variation in their response to the soap treatments. The possibility of using fatty acids and soaps as a control for the balsam woolly aphid is discussed.
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George S. Puritch (1975) studied this question.