ABSTRACT
The acaricidal (miticidal) activity of 90% ethanolic extracts of leaves and stem bark of Swietenia mahogani and Swietenia macrophylla were tested against Varroa destructor mite. Four concentrations were used over two different time intervals under laboratory and field conditions. In general, it was noticed that the acaricidal effect based on mortality and LC(50) of all tested extracts against the Varroa mite was concentration and time dependant. The acaricidal action against Varroa mites was relatively the least for the S. macrophylla stem bark extract at 500 ppm concentration after 48 h while it reached 100% and 95% in case of S. mahogani bark and S. macrophylla leaves, respectively. The% infestation with Varroa in colonies treated with the different extracts at various time intervals showed that the rate of infestation decreased to 0.0% after 12 days from the beginning of treatments with 500 ppm of S. mahogani leaves extract compared to 0.79% decrease after treatment with Mitac, a reference drug (60 mg/colony). The rate of infestation in case of treatments with S. mahogani bark, S. macrophylla leaves and S. macrophylla bark was decreased to 0.11%, 2.41% and 1.08%, respectively. The highest reduction was observed with S. mahogani leaves extract followed by S. mahogani bark. All the tested extracts showed less or no effect on honey bees at the different concentrations and at different bioassay times. This study suggested that the use of natural plant extracts or their products as ecofriendly biodegradable agents could be of high value for the control of Varroa mite.
Subject(s)
Acaricides , Bees/parasitology , Meliaceae/chemistry , Plant Extracts , Varroidae , Acaricides/toxicity , Animals , Bees/drug effects , Biological Assay , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Lethal Dose 50 , Plant Bark/chemistry , Plant Extracts/toxicity , Plant Leaves/chemistry , Plant Stems/chemistryABSTRACT
Fruit and leaf essential oils of Schinus molle showed insect repellent and insecticidal activity against Trogoderma granarium and Tribolium castaneum. In these oils, 65 components were identified by GC-MS analysis. Hydrocarbons dominated the oil composition with monoterpenes occurring in the largest amounts in fruits and leaves, 80.43 and 74.84%, respectively. p-Cymene was identified as a major component in both oils. The high yield and efficacy of S. molle essential oil against T. granarium and T. castaneum suggest that it may provide leads for active insecticidal agents.