biocontrol of the brown-banded cockroach, supella longipalpa f. (blattaria: blattellidae), with entomopathogenic fungus, metharhizium anisopliae

background: considering to the high distribution of cockroaches as urban pests, the efficacy of different formula­tions of metarhizium anisopliae strain iran 437c were assessed against the brown-banded cockroach, supella longi­palpa f. under laboratory and field conditions. methods: metarhizium anisopliae isolates were screened with immersing adults of the brown-banded cockroachs in aqueous suspension of 10 8 conidia ml -1 followed by surface or bait treated with different doses of the most virulent isolate against the nymphs. then formulations of conidia oil-in-water were examined versus cockroach nymphs us­ing different plant oils and paraffin. then they were evaluated and compared with aqueous suspension and control group. on a large-scale, the sunflower oil-in-water formulation of conidia was sprayed at houses using a hand sprayer. results: metarhizium anisopliae iran 437c was the most virulent isolate against the brown-banded cockroach, causing 100% mortality in adults at seven days post-exposure. inoculated bait with this isolate was not enough path­ogenic against the cockroach even at two weeks after treatment. treated surface with conidia as aqueous suspension or oil-in- water formulation was more effective than the bait formulation against the cockroach caused 39.4–97.2% mortality compared with 2.5% mortality in control group after two days. spraying the conidia formulated with sun­flower oil was an effective formulation causing 76.1% reduction in the cockroach density on the third day post treatment in the houses. c onclusion: the oil-in-water formulation of m. anisopliae iran 437c could be recommended as a promising al­ternative for cockroach control.