Toxicities of monoterpenes against housefly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae)

The development of natural plant extracts and essential oils will assist to decrease the negative effects of synthetic chemicals. Many plant extracts and essential oils contain monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and aliphatic compounds. In the present study, the fumigation activity of 42 pure monoterpenes against housefly, Musca domestica, was evaluated. Results from fumigation tests revealed that rho-cymene, terpinolene, (+/-)-menthol, thymol, carvacrol, (-)-carvone, (+)-camphor, (+)-pulegone, (-)-menthone, citral, (+/-)-citronellal, cuminaldehyde, and citronellyl acetate exhibited strong fumigation activity against M. domestica. Specifically, the compounds of (+)-pulegone, cuminaldehyde, citral, and rho-cymene had a highest toxicity toward M. domestica with LC50 values of 0.26, 0.60, 0.64, and 0.77 mu l/L, respectively. The present results indicated that (+)-pulegone, cuminaldehyde, citral, and rho-cymene are promising toxicants against M. domestica and could be useful in the search for new natural insecticides.