2012 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416): The goal of this project is to discover, develop, and foster commercialization of new, natural insect management products for control of insects of medicinal, veterinary, and urban concern. 1b.Approach (from AD-416): (1) Collect biological material from terrestrial, aquatic, and marine sources for which there are reasons to suspect the presence of arthropod-active compounds. (2) Conduct bioassay-directed isolation of insect-active compounds against mosquitoes, fire ants, termites, and other insects of medicinal, urban, or veterinary concern. (3) Scale up the production of compounds of interest in order to conduct development research. (4) Conduct development research, such as insect target range and toxicological studies. 3.Progress Report: The University of Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) is working with ARS scientists at the Natural Product Utilization Research Unit (NPURU) in Oxford, MS, with the objectives of discovering, developing, and commercialization of new, safer and more effective insect management products from natural sources. The following progress has been made in these areas. 1)Mosquito screening bioassays: we have screened more than 600 extracts/pure compounds in mosquito larval bioassays. Further screening of the active products was completed at lower dosages. Dose response bioassays were completed for more than 50 compounds/extracts against 1-day old mosquito larvae.. 2)More than 500 extracts/natural products were evaluated to determine the biting deterrence effects of these compounds using Klun & Debboun (K & D) modules. Out of these products, replicated bioassays were completed for more than 50 extracts/compounds for publications. We are conducting further elaborated bioassays on products that have shown a promising response in the K&D modules. An additional four manuscripts have been submitted and more manuscripts are being prepared for peer-reviewed journals. These new manuscripts will cover topics such as the biting deterrence and insecticidal activity of hydrazide-hydrazones, the antifungal, mosquito deterrent and larvicidal activity of N-(benzylidene)-3-cyclohexylpropionic acid hydrazide derivatives and 3-acetyl-2,5-disubstituted-2,3-dihydro-1,3,4-oxadiazoles against Aedes aegypti, and the biting deterrence and larvicidal activity of Ruta chalepensis L. Essential Oil and its major individual constituents against Aedes aegypti.. 3)Lastly, a bioassay system to assess the repellency of natural compounds against fire ants has been developed and has been utilized to evaluate various natural product extracts for efficacy.