Mansour, F., Dept. of Entomology, ARO, Newe Ya'ar, P.O. Haifa, 31999, Israel
Nentwig, W., Dept. of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, D-8400, Germany

The susceptibility of web-building and hunting spiders from the tropics (Panama), Europe (F.R. of Germany) and the Middle East (Israel) to 30 pesticides (16 insecticides, 4 acaricides, 1 herbicide, 9 fungicides) was determined. Laboratory test methods for juvenile and adult web-building spiders are described. Philodromus sp. (hunting spider), was completely resistant to all substances;Argiope sp. (web-building spider), Linyphia sp. (web-building spider) and Chiracanthium sp. (hunting spider) showed medium to high susceptibility. Insecticides affected spiders in a wide range of responses: from no mortality (most compounds of biological origin) and medium mortality (pyrethrin compounds, organophosphorus and carbamate compounds), to high mortality (cyclo compounds). To both groups of spiders (the hunting and web-building), most acaricides were highly toxic, whereas herbicides and fungicides were nontoxic. © 1988 Springer Science + Business Media B.V.