Toxicity of Some Extracts of Common Plants Towards Three Species of Pheidole Ants Under Laboratory Conditions

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Analysis Laboratory, Minia Health Administration, Ministry of Health, El-Minia, Egypt

2 Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, El-Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt

Abstract

The toxicity of some common plant extracts towards workers of three species of Pheidole ants was evaluated under laboratory conditions. Methanolic extracts of nine plants indigenous in Egypt, were examined for their potential use as alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides. Extracts of the tubers of Allium sativum L., the seeds of Anethum graveolens L., Coriandrum sativum L., Trigonella foenum-graecum L and Nigella sativa L., flowers of Calndula officinalis L., and leaves of Mentha viridis L., Rosamarinus officinalis L and Eucalyptus citriodora Hook were tested in this way. Bioassays were performed on mature workers of three species of Pheidole ants; P. jordanica (Saulcy), P. laticeps (Mayr) and P. sinatica (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) also common in Egypt. All crude methanolic plant extracts exerted toxic effects on workers of the three Pheidole species. The crude methanolic extract of A. sativum was the most effective, as indicated by the highest percentage mortality of ant workers, followed by extracts of T. foenum-graecum, while crude extract of E. citriodora, showed the least activity. The results indicate the potential use of some of these plant extracts as a source of safe alternatives to insecticides. 

Keywords

Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. A, Entomology
Volume 13, Issue 1
March 2020
Pages 185-194

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics