Efficacy and repellency of some essential oils and their blends against larval and adult house flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae)

Authors: KHATER, HANEM - Benha University; Geden, Christopher - Chris

Submitted to: Journal of Vector Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/23/2019
Publication Date: 11/15/2019
Citation: Khater, H., Geden, C.J. 2019. Efficacy and repellency of some essential oils and their blends against larval and adult house flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae). Journal of Vector Ecology. 44(2):256-263. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12357.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12357

Interpretive Summary: House flies are major pests of people and animal production systems throughout the world. Because house flies have developed resistance to every known insecticide that has been developed for their control, there is a critical need to discover new fly control tools. In this study scientists at Benha University in Egypt and the USDA-ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology (Gainesville, FL) evaluated essential oils of vetiver, cinammon, lavender and sunflower for insecticidal and repellent properties. All of the oils caused 94-100% of fly larvae when the oils were applied to larval breeding media. Vetiver and cinnamon oils were also strongly repellent for larvae in treated rearing medium, with 84 and 78% of larvae leaving the treated medium, respectively. None of the oils were repellent for adult flies, but testing of additional products demonstrated significant repellency for neem oil, p-menthane-3,8-diol (PMD), and vanillin. Vetiver, cinnamon and lavender oils killed 100% of exposed adult flies. Blends of different oils were not more effective against adults than the individual oils. Based on efficacy and cost, cinnamon oil has the most potential for development as a fly control tool. Because cinnamon oil is regarded by EPA as being sufficiently safe that it does not require registration as an insecticide, new products for fly control containing this oil could be developed easily and with few regulatory challenges.

Technical Abstract: Essential oils of vetiver, cinnamon, lavender and sunflower (5% solutions) had moderate toxicity for eggs of house flies, Musca domestica, with mortality ranging from 50.4–83.0%. Mortality of second instar larvae was 57–78% in dipping assays, 38–100% in contact assays, and 94–100% when larvae were placed in treated rearing medium. There were no significant differences in effectiveness of the oils in the larval tests, except that lavender was significantly less effective (38% mortality) than the others (91–100%) in the contact bioassays. Blends of vetiver, cinnamon, and lavender oils were not more effective against larvae than the individual oils. Vetiver and cinnamon oils were strongly repellent for larvae in treated rearing medium, with 84 and 78% of larvae leaving the treated medium, respectively. None of the tested oils were repellent for adult house flies in olfactometer tests, but testing of additional products demonstrated significant repellency for neem oil, p-menthane-3,8-diol (PMD), and vanillin. However, when vanillin was added to a mixture of vetiver, cinnamon, and lavender, the resulting 4-way mixture was significantly attractive to adult flies. Contact/fumigant toxicity of vetiver, cinnamon and lavender oils was 100%, significantly higher than mortality from sunflower oil (67%). Blends of vetiver, cinnamon, and lavender oils were not more effective against adults than the individual oils.