A B S T R A C TBean weevil and maize weevil can cause considerable damage to stored grains. These insects are mainly controlled with synthetic chemical insecticides, which may bring serious problems to human and environmental health. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the essential oil of clove [Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merrill & Perry (Myrtaceae) (origin: Bahia, season Sep.2014-Feb.2015] in the control of S. zeamais and A. obtectus under laboratory conditions. The essential oil was extracted through the classic hydrodistillation process and its chemical components were identified via gas chromatography. Oil efficiency was tested at the doses of 35, 17.9, 8.9, 3.6, 1.8, 0.4 and 0.2 µL g -1 (derived from a pilot study) for insect control and the LC 50 was determined. The results showed that eugenol was the major compound. The essential oil caused mortality of 100% for both species 48 h after treatment with the concentrations of 17.9 and 35 µL g Atividade inseticida do óleo essencial de cravo-da-índia sobre o caruncho-do-feijão e o gorgulho-do-milho R E S U M OO caruncho-do-feijão e o gorgulho do milho podem causar grandes prejuízos aos grãos armazenados. Entre as alternativas de controle está a utilização de óleos essenciais de plantas com propriedades inseticidas; objetivou-se, assim, avaliar a eficiência do óleo essencial de cravo-da-índia no controle de S. zeamais e A. obtectus em condições de laboratório. O óleo essencial foi extraído por processo clássico de hidrodestilação e seus constituintes químicos foram identificados por cromatografia gasosa. A eficiência deste óleo foi testada nas doses 35; 17,9; 8,9; 3,6; 1,8; 0,4 . A CL 50 para A. obtectus foi 9,45 µL g -1 contra 10,15 µL g -1 do S. zeamais. A utilização do óleo essencial de cravo-da-índia representa uma alternativa promissora a ser usada em condições de armazenagem para o manejo integrado de pragas de grãos armazenados.

Corn weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) may cause great losses in the crop and in stored corn grains. This insect is controlled with the use of chemical insecticides, which may cause serious damage to human health. One alternative of control is the use of inert dusts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of inert dusts in the control of S. zeamais under laboratory conditions. The experiment was conducted in 2014, in a completely randomized design, and the treatments consisted of basalt dust with three different granulometries (A, B and C) and diatomaceous earth, each of which at the doses of 2 and 4 kg t-1 and a control (no application). Each treatment had four replicates, and the sample unit consisted of 20 g of corn grains infected with 10 adults of S. zeamais kept in temperature-controlled chamber at 25 °C, 70% RH and photophase of 12 h. The dust efficiency was calculated using the equation of Abbott. The mortality rate was higher with the use of diatomaceous earth, reaching 100% after 5 days of exposure and the percentage of control for basalt dusts, 29 days after treatment, was above 80%.