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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391384
Research Project: Integrated Pest Management of Mosquitoes and Biting Flies

Location: Mosquito and Fly Research

Title: Permethrin synergized by novel plant essential oils on pyrethroid-susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant strains of Aedes aegypti

Author
item CULLEY, SHAWN - University Of Florida
item BLOOMQUIST, JEFFREY - University Of Florida
item Norris, Edmund

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/5/2022
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: With insecticide-resistant mosquito populations becoming an ever growing concern, new vector control technologies are needed. With the lack of new chemical classes of insecticides to control mosquito populations, the development of novel synergists may improve the performance of available insecticides. We screened 21 plant essential oils alone and in combination with permethrin against Aedes aegypti (Orlando) female adult mosquitoes to assess their ability to synergize this natural insecticide. A co-toxicity factor analysis was used to identify whether plant oils modulated the toxicity of natural pyrethrins antagonistically, additively, or synergistically. Both knockdown at 1h and mortality at 24h was monitored. Overall, most of oils increased the toxicity of natural pyrethrins, either via an additive or synergistic profile. Of the oils, many produced synergism at 2 µg/insect, whereas others were synergistic only at the higher dose of 10 µg/insect. Ylang ylang, cognac, rue, galangal, massoia, cascarilla, and perilla oils were the most successful oils for increasing the mortality of natural pyrethrins at 24h with co-toxicity factors greater than 50 at either or both the 2 and 10 µg/insect application level. A number of oils also significantly improved the 1h knockdown of natural pyrethrins at these application levels. Of these, juniper berry and perilla were the most successful at improving the speed-of-action of permethrin across both application levels, with co-toxicity factors of 337 and 324, respectively. We further evaluated these plant oils and their ability to synergize permethrin on a pyrethroid-resistant strain of Aedes aeygpti. This secondary screening demonstrated that numerous of the most successful plant essential oils were capable of synergizing permethrin on this strain, as well. These results demonstrate that diverse plant essential oils are capable of synergizing permethrin on both pyrethroid-susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant strains of mosquitoes.