JOURNAL OF STORED PRODUCTS RESEARCH, vol.36, no.2, pp.161-168, 2000 (SCI-Expanded)
The fumigant activity of essential oil vapours distilled from anise Pimpinella anisum, cumin Cuminum cyminum, eucalyptus Eucalyptus camaldulensis, oregano Origanum syriacum var. bevanii and rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis were tested against eggs of two stored-product insects, the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum, and the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuelzniella. The exposure to vapours of essential oils from anise and cumin resulted in 100% mortality of the eggs. Oregano achieved mortalities as high as 77 and 89% in T. confusum and E. kuehniella, respectively. The highest mortalities caused by essential oils of eucalyptus and rosemary were 45 and 65%, respectively. At a concentration of 98.5 mu l anise essential oil/l air, the LT99 values were 60.9 and 253.0 h for E. kuehniella and T. confusum, respectively. For the same concentration of the essential oil of cumin, the LT99 value for E. kuehniella was 127.0 h. As the essential oils from other plants investigated were less active their estimated LT99 values were too far beyond the tested exposure range to be reliable. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.