Abstract: The behavior, mortality and reproduction of Callosobruchus maculates in response to β-asarone derived from Acorus calamus were studied in the laboratory. The results showed that the contact toxicity symptoms included restlessness, loss of coordination, knockdown and eventual death of adult beetles. β-asarone caused 100% mortality of C. maculates at 64 h post treatment. Significantly lower mating number was observed in C. maculates treated with β-asarone than in the untreated beetles, and the mating number reduced with the exposure time. Significant lower mating competition was observed in C. maculates males than in females in response to β-asarone. The numbers of eggs laid by the female were all significantly lower in both the treatment of the treated female mating with the untreated male and the treatment of the treated male mating with the untreated female than that of the control, which was also decreased with the exposure time, but no difference was observed between the two treatments. The egg hatching rates of the laid eggs were also all significantly lower in both the treatments than that of the control, which was not decreased with the longer exposure to β-asarone, and there was also no difference in egg hatching rate between the two treatments. So it is concluded that β-asarone extracted from A. calamus is a nerve agent, which can reduce the population size of the progeny of C. maculates, and thus can be exploited as potential insecticide against C. maculates.

Key words: β-asarone, Callosobruchus maculatus, behavior, mortality, oviposition, egg hatching rate