Evaluation of the Toxicity of C. A. Mey Essential Oil to Storage and Greenhouse Insect Pests and a Predator Ladybird.

The use of chemical insecticides has had several side-effects, such as environmental contamination, foodborne residues, and human health threats. The utilization of plant-derived essential oils as efficient bio-rational agents has been acknowledged in pest management strategies. In the present study, the fumigant toxicity of essential oil isolated from was assessed against cosmopolitan stored-product insect pests: Everts (khapra beetle), (Fabricius) (lesser grain borer), (Herbst) (red flour beetle), and (L.) (saw-toothed grain beetle). The essential oil had significant fumigant toxicity against tested insects, which positively depended on essential oil concentrations and the exposure times. Comparative contact toxicity of essential oil was measured against Boyer de Fonscolombe (oleander aphid) and its predator L. (seven-spot ladybird). Adult females of were more susceptible to the contact toxicity than the adults. The dominant compounds in the essential oil of were thymol (48.1%), carvacrol (11.8%), -cymene (8.1%), and γ-terpinene (8.1%). The high fumigant toxicity against four major stored-product insect pests, the significant aphidicidal effect on , and relative safety to the general predator make terpene-rich essential oil a potential candidate for use as a plant-based alternative to the detrimental synthetic insecticides.