Abstract:
Background:
The efficacy of
Cymbopogon citratus
and
Tagetes minuta
essential oils in killing and
fecundity of the adult females of the sand fly
Phlebotomus duboscqi
was tested in the laboratory.
Materials and Methods:
1.0ml of each essential oil extract at co
ncentrations of 0.125; 0.250; 0.500;
0.750 and 1mg/ml and the controls, DEET and Tween 80 were applied to the inner surface and bottom of
a sterile pot and thirty adult
P. duboscqi
specimens aspirated into the pots
. The parameters observed were
insect mortalities after 24, 48 and 72 h as well as the number of eggs obtained from females subjected to
the different treatments.
Results:
The results showed that both
T. minuta
and
C. citratus
oils were highly potent against
P.
duboscqi
sandflies with mortality rates of 100.00 and 82.22 % on female sandflies and 100.00 and 88.89
% on male sandflies respectively after 72h. Between the two oils,
C. citratus
was significantly more
potent (
P < 0.
05) and caused higher mortality than
T. minuta
against both male and female sandflies.
However, there was no statistical
difference in mortality rates between
males and females subjected to
each of the two oils at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h (P >0.05). Female sandflies treated with the oil of
C. citratus
oil had significantly lower mo
rtality rates than those laid
by sand flies treated with
T. minuta
oil (P<
0.05; P= 0.00084).
Conclusion:
I conclude that the two essential oils are prom
ising natural insecticides due to their safety
advantage over chemical insecticides. I do recommend
further studies in the field using human subjects
before their adoption for use against Phlebotomine
sandflies.
