Lambda-Cyhalothrin is obtained by removing a pair of biologically inactive enantiomers from Cyhalothrin. Its insecticidal activity is more than twice that of Cyhalothrin. It is the most active low-toxicity pyrethroid insecticide, with a significantly expanded spectrum of pest control and greatly reduced application rates, making it the most popular pyrethroid insecticide.
Composition Differences
Cyhalothrin contains four isomers, of which only three are biologically active. Lambda-cyhalothrin is produced by removing one pair of biologically inactive enantiomers from cyhalothrin, resulting in a product that contains two isomers (a pair of diastereomers).
Activity Differences
Because Lambda-cyhalothrin has had the inactive isomers removed, its composition is more refined and its insecticidal activity is significantly higher. Under the same dosage conditions, Lambda-cyhalothrin is approximately four times more active than cyhalothrin.
Scope of Application Differences
Cyhalothrin is primarily used to control crop pests and mites. Lambda-cyhalothrin can be used not only to control agricultural crop pests but also to control various public health pests such as mosquitoes and flies.
Insecticidal Spectrum Differences
Cyhalothrin is used to control pests such as pink bollworm, cotton bollworm, cabbage white butterfly, cabbage aphid, tea geometrid, tea caterpillar, peach fruit borer, and oriental fruit moth. It is also used to control mites such as tea pink mite, tea leaf mite, citrus leaf miner, citrus aphid, citrus red mite, and rust mite.
Lambda-cyhalothrin is only used to control Lepidoptera, Homoptera, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera pests, including cotton bollworm, pink bollworm, beet armyworm, tobacco cutworm, and diamondback moth. However, it has no activity against mites.
Lambda-cyhalothrin is only used to control Lepidoptera, Homoptera, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera pests, including cotton bollworm, pink bollworm, beet armyworm, tobacco cutworm, and diamondback moth. However, it has no activity against mites.
Toxicity Differences
Due to its complex composition and the presence of inactive pyrethroids, cyhalothrin has lower insecticidal activity but significantly higher toxicity to mammals. It has been banned for sale in many European and American countries and has been largely replaced by Lambda-cyhalothrin due to its inferior performance.
Development Outlook Differences
Cyhalothrin is rarely used today because of its low activity, high toxicity, and high production cost. In contrast, Lambda-cyhalothrin has become the most widely used, most active, most effective, and most widely consumed pyrethroid insecticide on the market due to its high activity, low toxicity, and low cost. It is extensively used to control dozens of agricultural pests, as well as public health pests such as mosquitoes, flies, and cockroaches.
