The name is absent

Table 1. Toxicity of Methyl Parathion and Alternative Insecticides

Source: EPA and Georgia Cooperative Extension Service

^aToxicity is measured in LD₅₀, the dosage of a substance where 50 percent of the exposed test animals are killed. The
lower the LD₆₀, the greater the toxicity. The oral dosage for Cymbush was mixed with corn oil, and the dermal test for
Baythroid and Cymbush was performed on white rats.

^bToxicity categories 1,2, and 3 are associated with highly, moderately and slightly toxic insecticides, respectively.

applications 20 days prior to grazing or hay and/or
bean harvest. Currently, methyl parathion is still
labeled for use on soybeans, but its status is under
EPA review. With environmental awareness increas-
ing, resulting in possibly increased producer liability
from pesticide applications, the substitution of less
toxic chemicals is desirable both for producers and
consumers (Segerson; Wetzstein and Cenmer).

Given that the patent for methyl parathion expired
in the late 1980s, neither the past producer, Mon-
santo Agricultural Products Company, nor other
U.S.-based companies have indicated an interest in
continued manufacture of the product. In the future,
as the insecticide becomes less readily available, its
price may increase. This potential scarcity may par-
tially account for the cost of five gallons of emulsi-
fiable concentrate (4 lb.∕gal.) methyl parathion
increasing from $69.10 in 1987 to $89.90 in 1989
(Georgia Crop Reporting Service). Though alterna-
tive insecticides have potential for controlling cer-
tain stink bug species, and, as indicated in Table 1,
these insecticides may be less toxic, there exists
limited research on their economic feasibility.

Highly toxic insecticides, including methyl para-
thion, may be effective in controlling stink bugs but
environmentally hazardous, whereas less environ-
mentally toxic insecticides may be ineffective for
stink bug control. Furthermore, producers’ attitudes
toward risk associated with variability in profit,
yield, and soybean damage may determine which
chemicals could be feasible alternatives for methyl
parathion. This choice under risk caused by interac-
tion among economic, environmental, and technical
considerations may be addressed from a risk analysis
perspective.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the research presented in this
paper was to identify the risk-efficient set of stink
bug insecticide controls in the southeastern United
States. Data for this analysis were derived from
1988 and 1989 field experiments in Florida, Georgia,
and Louisiana. Stochastic dominance and expected
value analyses were used in determining risk effi-
cient sets.

STINK BUG CONTROL FIELD
EXPERIMENTS

In 1988 and 1989, similar field experiments were
conducted at agricultural experiment stations in
Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. At each location,
two soybean varieties were planted in mid-May with
a conventional wide-row cropping system. One of
the varieties was an early maturing Group V variety,
Forrest, which was used to lure the stink bugs into
the test area (McPherson and Newsom). The other
variety was a later maturing Group VΠ variety, either
Bragg or Braxton. The late-maturing variety was
partitioned into a randomized block design with four
replications. Stink bug controls were randomly ar-
ranged within each replication in plots that measured
30 by 50 feet (0.034 acre). Two separate test loca-
tions were used in Louisiana and Georgia in 1989

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