Insecticidal activity of essential oils from native plants against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

The insecticidal activity of eight essential oils from plants was assessed on third stage larvae and adults of Aedes aegypti Rockefeller strain. The baseline susceptibility was determined through the WHO standardized methods for larval bioassays and bottles of adult CDC. Cananga odorata was found that presented the best larvicidal activity with a lethal concentration (LC50) of 64.9 ppm and LC99 of 119.8 ppm, followed by Cymbopogon nardus, Lippia origanoides and Lippia alba with an LC50 of 106.3 ppm, 88.89 ppm and 110.1 ppm, and LC99 of 203.5 ppm, 205.9 ppm and 211.5 ppm, respectively. Oils with remarkable activity adulticide against A. aegypti were C. nardus with 707.1 ppm LC50 and LC99 of 1,018 ppm and L. origanoides with 648.3 ppm LC50 and LC99 of 1.054 ppm. In conclusion it was determined that under laboratory conditions, Ca. odorata is efficient as a larvicide. Additionally, C. nardus and L. origanoides are promising to control both larvae and adults of A. aegypti. The use of plant essential oils could be useful for controlling mosquito populations as A. aegypti, while constituting a favorable alternative to the environment.