Essential Oils from Cameroonian Aromatic Plants as Effective Insecticides against Mosquitoes, Houseflies, and Moths.

Recently, spices have attracted the attention of scientists and agrochemical companies for their potential as insecticidal and acaricidal agents, and even as repellents to replace synthetic compounds that are labeled with detrimental impacts on environment and human and animal health. In this framework, the aim of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal potential of the essential oils (EOs) obtained from three Cameroonian aromatic plants, namely (Gaertn.) Dunal, (Dunal) A. Rich., and (J. Pereira) K. Schum. They were produced by hydrodistillation, with yields of 3.84, 4.89, and 0.85%, respectively. The chemical composition was evaluated by GC-MS analysis. The EOs and their major constituents (i.e., geraniol, sabinene, α-pinene, -cymene, α-phellandrene, and β-pinene) were tested against the polyphagous moth pest, i.e., (Boisd.), the common housefly, L., and the filariasis and arbovirus mosquito vector, Say. Our results showed that and EOs were the most effective against adults, being effective on both males (22.1 µg adult) and females (LD: 29.1 µg adult). The EO and geraniol showed the highest toxicity on with LD values of 29.3 (123.5) and 25.3 (83.2) µg larva, respectively. Last, the EOs from and , as well as the major constituents -cymene and α-phellandrene, were the most toxic against larvae. The selected EOs may potentially lead to the production of cheap and effective botanical insecticides for African smallholders, although the development of effective formulations, a safety evaluation, and an in-depth study of their efficacy on different insect species are needed.