Mosquito larvicidal and phytochemical properties of Ervatamia coronaria Stapf. (Family: Apocynaceae).

Abstract

Mosquitoes are the most important group of insects in terms of public health importance, which transmit a number of diseases, such as malaria, filariasis, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, etc. causing millions of deaths every year. Chemical insecticides have been/ are being used to control these disease vectors. The greatest harm from chemical insecticides is that once introduced into the system, they may remain there forever or for a very long duration. Thus, they pose a threat to life and help insects to develop resistance against them. This is the reason that there has always been a need for such an insecticide which is more powerful, with lesser side effects and degrading after sometime, reducing the change to develop resistance against it. These problems have renewed interest in exploiting the pest control potential of plants. In addition to application as general toxicants against mosquitoes, phytochemicals may also have potential uses as larvicides, repellents, ovicides and oviposition deterrents, and growth and reproduction inhibitors 1,2 .