The effects of three essential oils on adult repellency, larval fumigant toxicity, and egg hatch of Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae )

The essential oils of Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) (Pinales: Pinaceae), Mentha x piperita L. (Lamiales: Lamiaceae), and Santalum paniculatum L. (Santalales: Santalaceae), were evaluated for their bioactivity on red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The most pharmacologically effective oil for this beetle species was that of M. piperita followed by C. atlantica and S. paniculatum. Mentha piperita provided about 74% repellency (at 1 d) to adults, whereas larval fumigant mortality was nearly 50% at 8 h of exposure. The greatest apparent reduction of egg hatch occurred with S. paniculatum (76%) when compared with M. piperita (25%) after 15 d. However, we believe that all 3 essential oils could be helpful for controlling red flour beetles to some degree. After recording bioactivity for all essential oils tested, each was subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis to identify its chemical components. Further studies should be conducted to test the bioactivity of the individual chemical components of these oils for T. castaneum.