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Insecticidal efficacy of some essential oils against adults of Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae)

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Abstract

Nowadays, the insecticidal and acaricidal properties of plant extracts and essential oils (EOs) have been evaluated as an alternative to chemical means. This study aims to assess the insecticidal efficacy of 20 commercial EOs against the adults of Musca domestica Linnaeus (Diptera: Muscidae) by the contact of insects with the residues of EOs at the bottom of glass cups. The dose effects of seven EOs (i.e. Acorus calamus, Allium sativum, Syzygium aromaticum, Cymbopogon citratus, Juniperus communis, Cedrus atlantica, and Foeniculum vulgare) as well as the time effects of exposure to these EOs on the mortality of flies were analyzed by probit analysis. Permethrin (technical substance) was used as a reference insecticide in the positive control and pure acetone served as the negative control. The insecticidal efficacy of the tested EOs decreased in order (based on their lethal dose (LD)50 values): A. calamus > A. sativum > S. aromaticum ≥ C. citratus > J. communis > C. atlantica > F. vulgare. A. calamus EO was the most effective against flies and very fast acting with negligible reversibility of effect. The EOs of A. sativum and S. aromaticum had a significant time-dependent insecticidal effect. The time for 50% insecticidal effect (knockdown and mortality in total) of the A. sativum EO was the greatest among the seven EOs and seven times more in comparison with the positive control. Present results and literature data suggest that the aforesaid plant products could be promising as contact insecticides against adults M. domestica. The difference in the insecticidal properties of A. calamus and A. sativum EOs observed in the current study display the need for various approaches for their future application as insecticides.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Basic Research Program of the Russian Academy of Sciences under Project “Development of means for disinsectization of objects of veterinary supervision”. The authors are grateful to anonymous reviewers for their suggestions and help with improving the paper.

Funding

This work was supported by the Basic Research Program of the Russian Academy of Sciences under Project “Development of means for disinsectization of objects of veterinary supervision”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Veterinary Entomology and Arachnology, Branch of Federal State Institution Federal Research Centre Tyumen Scientific Centre of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ASRIVEA – Branch of Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS), Institutskaya st., 2, Tyumen, 625041, Russian Federation

    Mikhail A. Levchenko, Elena A. Silivanova & Pavel E. Khodakov

  2. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Clinical Research Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran

    Saber Gholizadeh

  3. Medical Entomology Department, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, 5756115198, Urmia, Iran

    Saber Gholizadeh

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  1. Mikhail A. Levchenko
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  2. Elena A. Silivanova
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  3. Pavel E. Khodakov
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  4. Saber Gholizadeh
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Correspondence to Elena A. Silivanova.

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Levchenko, M.A., Silivanova, E.A., Khodakov, P.E. et al. Insecticidal efficacy of some essential oils against adults of Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae). Int J Trop Insect Sci 41, 2669–2677 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-021-00448-0

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