Susceptibility of eggs of Tribolium confusum, Ephestia kuehniella and Plodia interpunctella to four essential oil vapors

Abstract

Susceptibility of eggs of Tribolium confusum du Val. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Ephestia kuehniella (Zell.) (Lepidoptera: Phycitidae) and Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) to vapors of essential oil from garlic (Allium sativum L.), birch (Betula lenta L.), cinnamon (Cinnamonum zeylanicum (Blume)) and aniseed (Pimpinella anisum L.) was studied. Preliminary bioassay tests indicated that vapors of the essential oils had a significant effect on the eggs of tested insect species when exposed to a concentration of 20 A mu l l (-1) air for 24 h. Generally, garlic and birch essential oils were more toxic to the eggs of tested insect species than cinnamon and aniseed essential oils (except for eggs of T. confusum). There was also a significant difference between susceptibility of eggs of T. confusum, E. kuehniella and P. interpunctella to tested essential oils. Toxicity data indicated that eggs of T. confusum were more susceptible to tested essential oils, with LC(90) values ranging from 3.11 to 33.49 A mu l l (-1) air, than those of E. kuehniella and P. interpunctella; eggs of P. interpunctella were the most tolerant to the essential oils, with LC(90) values ranging from 22.02 to 72.42 A mu l l (-1) air. Concentration x time (Ct) products of 0.29, 0.22, 0.13 and 1.37 mg h l (-1) for garlic, birch, cinnamon and aniseed essential oil, respectively, were required to obtain 90% kill of T. confusum eggs. Although cinnamon essential oil had a much closer Ct product value to methyl bromide, garlic and birch essential oils were found to be the most promising ones since they had also high fumigant toxicity on eggs of both E. kuehniella and P. interpunctella.