The cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, the horn fly Haematobia irritans irritans, and the stable fly Stomoxys calcitrans are economically important blood-feeding pests affecting beef and dairy cattle productions in many countries, including the United States. The sand fly Phlebotomus papatasi is an important biting fly and the main vector of the trypanosomatid protozoa Leishmania major, which causes leishmaniasis in parts of the Afro-Eurasian region. The black- legged tick Ixodes scapularis is the primary tick vector of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi that causes Lyme disease in the United States. The control of these pests has relied on synthetic chemical pesticides. However, the indiscriminate use of synthetic pesticides has led to the development of pesticide resistance, lack of efficacy, increased control cost, and environmental impact. New chemical pesticides with novel modes of action are needed to manage problems associated with pesticide resistance. A limited number of new synthetic compounds are being commercialized to control livestock pests or insect/tick vectors of human diseases. Essential oils extracted from many plant species have been tested for activity against different tick and biting fly species in different countries. The majority of the work has been done using in vitro assays, and few essential oil preparations have been tested on animals. This presentation reports results of laboratory toxicity and repellency bioassays of several essential oils against these tick and biting fly species. Essential oils and related compounds demonstrated various levels of activity against the target pest species. However, little is known about the modes of action of plant-derived compounds that are shown to be toxic to ticks and biting flies. It is expected that recent progress in toxicological and pharmacological studies will help elucidate the modes of action of promising plant-derived natural compounds that could be more effective than synthetic chemicals used in commercially available pesticides.

Evaluation of essential oils as natural pesticides and repellents against ticks and biting flies affecting livestock and human health

248th National Meeting (2014)

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