Insecticidal and repellency effects of smoke from plant pellets with or without D-allethrin 90 EC against three medical insects

Abstract

Smoke from pellets made from pulverized waste wood, palm-kernel cake, dried "Kuka" (Adansonia digitata) leaves and d-allethrin 90 EC, were assayed against adults of Anopheles gambiae Giles, (0-3 day-old) Musca domestica Linnaeus (0-3 day-old) and Periplaneta americana Linnaeus (0-7 day-old) in the laboratory for their toxicity and repellency. The pellets contained 0 g (LPP0), 0.01 g (LPP0.01) and 0.05 g (LPP0.05) of d-allethrin, respectively. The time taken for complete combustion increased with reducing amount of d - allethrin in pellets. At the 1.0 g level LPP 0 pellets had significantly higher combustion time (2328.75 sec) relative to LPP0.01 (2027.50 sec) and LPP0.05 (2029.67 sec) when values were compared by ANOVA and means were ranked by Duncan's Multiple Range Test (p = 0.05). All the pellet grades caused mortality of A. gambiae and M. domestica but not P. americana. Anopheles gambiae was more susceptible to pellet smoke than other insects. Against A. gambiae the Median Lethal Dose (LD50) was 0.47, 0.50 and 0.20 g for LPP0, LPP0.01 and LPP0.05, respectively while it was 0.52, 0.46 and 0.46 g for LPP0, LPP0.01 and LPP0.05, respectively against M. domestica. All the pellets repelled both A. gambiae and M. domestica. None of the pellet grades gave any repellency against P. americana. © 2006 Academic Journals Inc.