Fumigant toxicity of three essential oils of Rosa hybrida L., Citrus aurantium L. and Ixora chinensis L., on second, third and fourth instars larvae of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lep.: Pyralidae) under laboratory conditions

The Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller), is one of the most important pests of stored products which causes a lot of damage. Considering the economic importance of stored product pests, such as the Mediterranean flour moth and their resistance to conventional chemical insecticides, finding a safe, suitable, economical and sustainable way to control and reduce the damage of these pests seems necessary. The use of plant essential oils is one of the suitable methods for controlling stored product pests, which has been considered in recent years. In this study the lethality effect of essential oils of Rosa hybrida, Citrus aurantium and Ixora chinensis were evaluated on the second, third and fourth instars larvae of E. kuehniella at laboratory conditions. The experiments were conducted at 27±2 °C, and 75±5% relative humidity under dark conditions. LC50 values of R. hybrida, C. aurantum and I. chinensis essential oils on the second, third and fourth instars larvae after 72 hours were »308.8, 658.7 and 636.9«, »446.7, 804.6 and 1183.3« and »1120.3, 2072.1 and 1761.7« μl.L-1 air, respectively. The lethality of the essential oils increased with increasing effect time. The results of this study showed that using of some plant essential oils could be an appropriate alternative to chemical compounds in stored product pest management.