Acaricidal and repellent properties of some plant extracts against poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae (Mesostigmata: Dermanyssidae)

Poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae De Geer (Mesostigmata: Dermanyssidae), is an important pest of birds in avicultures and it is an economic, hygienic and epidemiologic problem in the poultry industry. Uses of botanical pesticides are good and safe alternatives instead of chemical compounds. In the present study acaricidal and repellency activities of Conocarpus erectus, Portulaca oleracea and Pistacia atlantica extracts were evaluated against D. gallinae by calculation LC50 value and repellency index of each herbal extract in laboratory conditions and were compared with abamectin (a conventional chemical acaricide). However, all herbal extracts had less toxicity against the mite than abamectin. Aquatic and ethanolic extracts of C. erectus exhibited repellent for D. gallinae. The repellency effect was not observed in P. oleracea and P. atlantica extracts. Therefore, based on this experiment, it could be concluded that the aquatic and ethanolic extracts of C. erectus can be used as a safe botanical acaricide and repellent compound for control of D. gallinae in avicultures.