Essential oils and their compositions as spatial repellents for pestiferous social wasps

Abstract

These repellent essential oils and their active compositions have great potential for efficient, environmentally sound semiochemical-based IPM of pestiferous vespid wasps.

Behavioural responses of Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) wasps exposed to essential oils

“…Most of the research on insect repellents has been conducted on products to repel mosquitoes (Tawatsin et al 2001;Fradin & Day 2002;Patel et al 2012), but little research effort has been devoted towards using repellents to directly ward off wasps (Zhang et al 2013;Boevé et al 2014). Such repellents could be used to deter wasps from houses or recreational areas and in combination with baited traps, in a 'push-pull' scenario (Cook et al 2007).…”

“…The few tools available to control this pest coupled with the health concerns associated with the use of synthetic insecticides such as fipronil (Tingle et al 2003) require industry and the scientific community to place greater emphasis on research into new insecticidal products based on less toxic substances. Recent studies suggest that the use of repellents to ward off vespid wasps could lead to the development of new control techniques for these insects (Zhang et al 2013;Boevé et al 2014).…”

“…These were chosen either because the oils or some of their components had been tested against wasps (Zhang et al 2013;Boevé et al 2014), because their terpenoid components are known insect repellents and insecticides (Regnault-Roger et al 2012), and they are readily available and/or their fragrance would make them attractive to potential end users. The objective was to identify potential repellents based on plant essential oils, to assess their efficacy, and to gain further insight as to whether these compounds are repellent or if they only mask food odours and how the learning capacities of the wasps are affected by a repellent.…”

Contact, fumigant, and cytotoxic activities of thyme and lemongrass essential oils against larvae and an ovarian cell line of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni

“…Variations in chemical composition owing to seasonal or geographic differences, growth conditions, and extraction methods for thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) essential oil (Senatore 1996;Hudaib et al 2002;Asllani and Toska 2003) and lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus Stapf.) essential oil (Zheljazkov et al 2011;Desai et al 2014;Moncada et al 2014) are well documented, along with their insecticidal activity (Lee et al 2001;Machial et al 2010;Jiang et al 2012), repellence (Diaz-Montano andTrumble 2013;Zhang et al 2013), and physiological impact such as insect larval growth or feeding deterrence (Hummelbrunner and Isman 2001;Jiang et al 2012) as well as acaricidal activity (Sertkaya et al 2010). Although many screening data highlighted the merit of both essential oils as insect control agents, understandings of the activities of individual constituents and their comparative contributions to the overall toxicity are vital in the considerations of candidate oils as for practical use (i.e., determinations of cultivation condition, commercialization, or quality control).…”

Controlling yellow jackets with fipronil-based protein baits in urban recreational areas

“…Another approach is to repel foraging yellow jackets from areas of human activity. Seventeen essential oils, such as clove oil, lemongrass oil, ylang ylang oil, spearmint oil, wintergreen oil, sage oil, rosemary oil, geranium oil, and lavender oil, released at 30-45 mg/day were repellent to V. pensylvanica (Zhang et al 2013). These repellents have been incorporated into commercial products for homeowner use.…”