Biological effect of two plant extracts against house flies (Musca domestica L.) as a sustainable approach for vector disease control

Abstract

The house fly, Musca domestica (L.) has a worldwide distribution and acts as a source of nuisance and a common vector for several diseases in humans and livestock. The present study aimed to investigate the biological activity of plant extracts (Juniperus procera and Ficus palmata) along with their synthesized silver nanoparticle (AgNP) solutions against the second larval stage of house flies. Larval bioassay experiments were conducted using feeding and dipping methods at various concentrations. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized by visual observation, UV–visible and FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed biochemical effects of the tested extracts on the treated larvae and different growth stages of the house fly. Using the feeding and dipping methods, the concentration required to inhibit 50% of the adult fly emergence (IC50 value) was 2.62% and 4.19% with J. procera and 0.71% and 1.29% with F. palmata, respectively. The crude extracts mixed with silver nanoparticles showed significantly decreased IC50 values at 1.09% and 1.23% for J. procera and 0.32% and 0.45% for F. palmata using the feeding and dipping methods, respectively. Further, the feeding method with both crude extracts showed about 1.60 and 1.80 times more effective control against the larval stages compared to that in case of the dipping method. In addition, the F. palmata extract was about 3.66 and 3.20‐fold more effective against flies compared to J. procera using the feeding and dipping method, respectively. Overall, this study suggests using of the tested extracts of plants as promising biological agents and safe options for sustainable pest management.