Commercially Available Essential Oil Formulas as Repellents Against the Stored-Product Pest Alphitobius diaperinus

Abstract

The main aim of the presented paper is to assess the potential repellent effect of selected essential oils (EOs) against the lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus), which can cause economic losses in storage and in the poultry industry. Due to the development of pesticide resistance in A. diaperinus populations, as well as an attempt to limit extensive use of potentially harmful pesticides in food-related industries, there is a strong need for the development of alternative methods of dealing with A. diaperinus infestations. Because of their cost-effectiveness, availability and low vertebrate toxicity, EOs are promising agents in pest management. In the presented paper four off-the-shelf EOs: mint, vanilla, lemon and citronella (and mixtures of them) were tested as potential repellents. Moreover, a novel preference assay, providing an extended analysis of the preference and the locomotor response, was used. The most effective EOs were: citronella and lemon. EOs mixtures were generally more repellent than individual EOs, with the lemon and vanilla 1:1 mixture acting as the strongest repellent. A few of the tested EOs caused significant alterations to the locomotor activity, although no direct relation was observed. In conclusion, EOs can be potentially used as repellent agents in A. diaperinus management. Additionally, data on the locomotor activity may lead to designing better push-pull strategies in pest management.

The Effect of Rosmarinus officinalis Essential Oil Fumigation on Biochemical, Behavioral, and Physiological Parameters of Callosobruchus maculatus

“…This characteristic, while in some situations beneficial, renders them (if used alone) inadequate for integrated pest management; therefore analyzing possible repellent activity is crucial for designing pull–push systems. R. officinalis has been reported to possess a repellent effect against many insect species [ 13 ]. Similar results were observed in the presented study as the R. officinalis were found to significantly repel the insects in the concentration equal to or higher than LC 12.5 ; the repellency observed after the exposition to LC 50 , was stronger albeit, insignificantly.…”

“…To assess the repellent activity of the R. officinalis EO, a repellency test described by Francikowski et al [ 13 ] was adapted. For every volume (volume corresponding to LC 12.5 ; LC 25 ; LC 50 ), 40 beetles were used.…”

Biodegradable Alginate Films with ZnO Nanoparticles and Citronella Essential Oil—A Novel Antimicrobial Structure

“…The major constituents of citronella essential oil (CEO), among other substances, are citral, citronellal and citronellol [ 38 , 39 ]. CEO is considered a non-toxic biopesticide in the US [ 40 ] which also has a very strong antifungal and antibacterial activity [ 41 , 42 , 43 ]. The bare alginate films exhibit a poor performance regarding water vapor permeability (WVP).…”

Essential Oils Extracted from Different Species of the Lamiaceae Plant Family as Prospective Bioagents against Several Detrimental Pests

“…There are almost 17,500 aromatic plant species which are important for pesticidal approaches [6]. There is also ongoing progress in the search for pesticidal effects of essential oils extracted from different plant species for pest management strategies [7][8][9][10][11]. Furthermore, essential oils have been assayed as alternatives to commercial pesticides for the green conservation of cultural assets [12,13].…”