Essential oils: As Potential Larvicides

Abstract

Multiple synthetic products are used against mosquitoes to kill them and inhibit the transmission of these vector-borne diseases. The continuous use of these products produces detrimental effects on the environment and non-target organisms, which also develops resistance in the mosquito. In the last few decades, there has been a continuous exploration of herbal extract-based insecticides. These plants extract essential oils that have emerged as a potential eco-friendly alternative for the killing of larvae, the immature form of adult mosquitoes. In this review article, we focused on the larvicidal activity (LC50 values) of plant extracts obtained from various parts of plants. We evaluated results obtained from numerous essential oil larvicidal activities against prominent vectors belonging to the genera Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex, among others, that had been reported in various scientific data bases. The mode of action of these plant extracts are also discussed with reference to insecticidal activity. The major limitation of essential oils with their overcome solutions through formulation development is also highlighted. This review article reported that essential oils are potential substitutes for the development of larvicides, which may be employed in vector-borne illness control programmes. Overall, this remarkable summary and organization of data may be used to design, develop, and optimise herbal-based formulations with potential larvicidal efficacy. Keywords: Essential oils; Larvicidal Activity; Herbal extract; Vector born-diseases.