Repellent properties of natural substances against Dermanyssus gallinae: review of knowledge and prospects for Integrated Pest Management

The poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae is a strict hematophagous parasite of birds, causing major health and economic problems in poultry farms worldwide. The use of plant-derived repellents against this pest could be an alternative control method as part of Integrated Pest Management strategies. In this review, the different types of repellents and the testing methods used to explore them in arthropods are synthesized. State-of-the-art knowledge on the repellent properties of natural plant-derived substances against D. gallinae is established. Studies reporting repellent properties exerted by plant-derived substances against D. gallinae are reviewed, and the level of discrimination between the different types of properties achieved by the experimental designs implemented is examined. Factors that may modulate repellent activity in arthropods are reviewed, and the available evidence for D. gallinae is highlighted. A framework is proposed for the rational use of knowledge from experiments for the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). In addition, to optimize the implementation of IPM strategies for D. gallinae, the current knowledge related to the risk of emergence of resistance to natural repellents is documented. This phenomenon has not been explored in D. gallinae to date, but resistance to several repellent substances has been reported in insects, with some cross-resistance between repellents and neurotoxic insecticides.