The flightless midge Eretmoptera murphyi is thought to be continuing its invasion of Signy Island via the treads of personnel boots. Current boot-wash biosecurity protocols in the Antarctic region rely on microbial biocides, primarily Virkon® S. As pesticides have limited approval for use in the Antarctic Treaty area, we investigated the efficacy of Virkon® S in controlling the spread of E. murphyi using boot-wash simulations and maximum threshold exposures. We found that E. murphyi tolerates over 8 h of submergence in 1% Virkon® S. Higher concentrations increased effectiveness, but larvae still exhibited > 50% survival after 5 h in 10% Virkon® S. Salt and hot water treatments (without Virkon® S) were explored as possible alternatives. Salt water proved ineffective, with mortality only in first-instar larvae across multi-day exposures. Larvae experienced 100% mortality when exposed for 10 s to 50°C water, but they showed complete survival at 45°C. Given that current boot-wash protocols alone are an ineffective control of this invasive insect, we advocate hot water (> 50°C) to remove soil, followed by Virkon® S as a microbial biocide on ‘clean’ boots. Implications for the spread of invasive invertebrates as a result of increased human activity in the Antarctic region are discussed.

中文翻译：

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Virkon® S 消毒剂对入侵昆虫的有效性及其对南极生物安全实践的影响

不会飞的蠓Eretmoptera murphyi被认为是通过人员靴的履带继续入侵西格尼岛。目前南极地区的开机清洗生物安全协议依赖于微生物杀灭剂，主要是 Virkon® S。由于杀虫剂在南极条约地区的使用批准有限，我们调查了 Virkon® S 在控制病毒传播方面的功效E.墨菲使用引导清洗模拟和最大阈值曝光。我们发现E.墨菲在 1% Virkon® S 中可耐受超过 8 小时的浸没。更高的浓度会提高有效性，但在 10% Virkon® S 中 5 小时后，幼虫仍表现出 > 50% 的存活率。盐和热水处理（不含 Virkon® S）被探索为可能的替代方案。盐水被证明是无效的，经过多天的暴露，只有一龄幼虫会死亡。当暴露在 50°C 的水中 10 秒时，幼虫经历了 100% 的死亡率，但它们在 45°C 时表现出完全存活。鉴于目前的靴子清洗方案单独无法有效控制这种入侵性昆虫，我们提倡使用热水 (> 50°C) 去除土壤，然后在“干净”靴子上使用 Virkon® S 作为微生物杀灭剂。讨论了由于南极地区人类活动增加而导致入侵无脊椎动物扩散的影响。