Acaricides of Natural Origin. Part 2. Review of the Literature (2002–2006)

Abstract

Dedicated to the memory of Professor Ivano Morelli.Acari are responsible for millions of dollars worth of damage each year as a result of infestations of animals, plants and man. They directly affect our health and prosperity as animal and plant parasites, vectors of disease, and producers of allergens. The indiscriminate use of pesticides has quickly induced resistance in many parasites. At present, the control of acarid parasitic diseases in agriculture, human and veterinary medicine is mainly based on the use of drugs; and for this reason the lack of effective drugs often prevents the control of some parasitic diseases, making them more serious and important. The use of commercial drugs involves many problems, besides the drug-resistance shown by the most important parasites. Environmental damage and the toxicity of many synthetic drugs, represent the main problems that strongly limit drug use. In addition, drug residues in plant and animal food products are important reasons for further economic losses for farmers and must be regarded as potentially hazardous to man and the environment. Plant-derived compounds are generally more easily degradable and could show a smaller negative environmental impact with respect to synthetic drugs. For these reasons, the evaluation of the antiacarid activity of plant extracts is increasingly being investigated in order to obtain new leads, as demonstrated by recent studies that have evaluated and confirmed the effectiveness of many plant compounds on bacteria, fungi, protozoa, helminths and arthropods. This review will be limited to the class Arachnida, sub-class Acaridi, particularly to their control in agriculture, veterinary and human medicine using natural methods.

GC-MS Analysis and Evaluation of Essential Oils as Volatile Biopesticides: Assessing Their Acaricidal Potential against Varroa destructor

“…Meanwhile, the volatile compounds in honey do not harm bees. Recent studies show that organic acids and essential oils act effectively against Varroa mites in organic beekeeping [41][42][43][44]. In beekeeping, using natural compounds derived from plants is gaining attention.…”

Acaricidal Efficacy of Jasmine and Lavender Essential Oil or Mustard Fixed Oil against Two-Spotted Spider Mite and Their Impact on Growth and Yield of Eggplants

“…The two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychusurticae Koch (Acarina: Tetranychidae) represents a highly cosmopolitan and polyphagous pest worldwide in protected and open field conditions [ 1 ]. It predominantly prevails in exhaustive high-yield cropping systems, resulting in a serious economic yield loss (50–100%) in severe infestation conditions [ 2 , 3 ].…”

“…Moreover, severe TSSM invasion induces secondary infestation by fungi, bacteria, and viruses that frequently cause considerable extra injury; additionally, TSSM occurrences induce an allergic syndrome in greenhouse employees [ 6 ]. The control of TSSM is particularly problematic due to their short life cycle, potentially explosive population, and their ability to rapidly develop resistance to more than 80 miticides (acaricides) with a few applications [ 1 , 7 , 8 ]. Consequently, the extension of the chemical acaricide utilized in TSSM control can comprise the commercialization of agricultural systems and induces harmful impacts to the environment and human health, as well as non-target organisms [ 9 ].…”

Inter‐ and intraspecific variation of spider mite susceptibility to fungal infections: Implications for the long‐term success of biological control

“…1,100 plant species belonging to more than 140 different plant families (Migeon & Dorkeld, –2017), destroying annual and perennial crops. A few studies have evaluated the economic costs of spider mites, which vary among crops, seasons, and plant age (Alatawi, Margolies, & Nechols, ; Flamini, ; Opit, Chen, Williams, Nechols, & Margolies, ; Park & Lee, , , ; Weihrauch, ), and theoretical studies suggest that detrimental effects of spider mites in agriculture will dramatically increase with increased global warming (Migeon et al, ). Moreover, due to their short generation time and high fecundity, spider mites rapidly develop resistance to pesticides (Van Leeuwen, Vontas, Tsagkarakou, Dermauw, & Tirry, ).…”