Effect of plant essential oils as acaricides against the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae, with special focus on exposure time

Varroosis is a disease of Apis mellifera L. caused by the mite Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman. Essential oils and their chemical constituents offer a safe alternative to synthetic acaricides for the control of this mite in bee hives. The present study was conducted to evaluate anti-parasitic activity of essential oils from Thymus kotschyanus Bioss & Hohen., Mentha longifolia L., Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh., and Ferula gummosa L. at concentrations of 1, 2.5, 4, and 5.5 µl/l air for 5 and 10 h. Findings indicated that mite mortality increased as oils concentration and exposure time increased. T. kotschyanus oil at 5.5 µl/l air caused a mite mortality rate of 54.4% and 84.43% after 5 and 10 h fumigation, respectively. At the same concentration and exposure time, the honey bee mortality was 0% and 7.2%, respectively. Application of M. longifolia and E. camaldulensis oils at 5.5 µl/l air resulted in 65.53% and 71.06% mortality in Varroa mites and 10.13% and 12% mortality in honey bees after 10 h exposure. Despite moderate acaricidal activity of F. gummosa oil against Varroa mite (49.69%), it was highly toxic to honey bee (30%). Also, GC/MS analysis of the oils showed that carvacrol (47.99%) and thymol (30.61%) in T. kotschyanus oil, piperitenone (36.86%), piperitenone oxide (27.53%),Cispiperitone epoxide (22.21%), and pulegone (8.38%) in M. longifoliaoil, 1,8-cineol (74.7%) and α-pinene (8.35%) in E. camaldulensis oil, and β-pinene (87.29%) in F. gummosa oil were the main chemical constituents. Collectively, our results led to a conclusion that T. kotschyanus, M. longifolia, and E. camaldulensis oils have enough potential to play an important role in integrated control programs of varroosis in apiaries.

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The influence of thyme and pennyroyal essential oils, found to be effective as acaricides against the poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae), on occurrence of taint in hens’ eggs

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200030350 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2009 ◽

pp. 196-196

Author(s):

T Smith ◽

D George ◽

O Sparagano ◽

R Shiel ◽

C Seal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Essential Oil ◽

Essential Oils ◽

Pest Management ◽

Egg Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Dermanyssus Gallinae ◽

Poultry Red Mite ◽

Growing Body ◽

Preceding Work ◽

Synthetic Pesticides

Conventional pest management (the use of synthetic pesticides) is being increasingly hampered by issues of pest resistance, tighter legislation and greater consumer demand for food stuffs produced in an environmentally friendly manner. A growing body of research suggests that essential oils may be of use as an alternative to synthetic products in managing the poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae), a serious pest of egg production systems for laying hens (Kim et al., 2004). It is necessary to ensure that any essential oil recommended as an acaricide against this pest does not taint the eggs produced from hens in poultry units in which the oil would be deployed. The aim of the current study was to test the hypotheses that thyme and pennyroyal essential oils, having been found to be effective as acaricides for D. gallinae in preceding work, would have no effect on the occurrence of taint in hens’ eggs.

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