Abstract
Essential oils are natural plant products that are very interesting, as they are important sources of biologically active compounds. They comprise eco-friendly alternatives to mosquito vector management, particularly essential oil nanoemulsion. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of 16 selected essential oils (1500 ppm) in controlling mosquitoes by investigating their larvicidal effects against the larvae and adults of the West Nile virus vector Culex pipiens L. (Diptera: Culicidae); the best oils were turned into nanoemulsions and evaluated under laboratory and field conditions. The results show that honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium) and patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) essential oils were more effective in killing larvae than the other oils (100% mortality) at 24 h post-treatment. The nanoemulsions of honeysuckle (LC(50) = 88.30 ppm) and patchouli (LC(50) = 93.05 ppm) showed significantly higher larvicidal activity compared with bulk honeysuckle (LC(50) = 247.72 ppm) and patchouli (LC(50) = 276.29 ppm) oils. L. caprifolium and P. cablin (100% mortality), followed by Narcissus tazetta (97.78%), Rosmarinus officinalis (95.56%), and Lavandula angustifolia (95.55%), were highly effective oils in killing female mosquitoes, and their relative efficacy at LT(50) was 5.5, 5.3, 5.8, 4.1, and 3.2 times greater, respectively, than Aloe vera. The results of the field study show that the honeysuckle and patchouli oils and their nanoemulsions reduced densities to 89.4, 86.5, 98.6, and 97.0% at 24 h post-treatment, respectively, with persistence for eight days post-treatment in pools. Nano-honeysuckle (100% mortality) was more effective than honeysuckle oils (98.0%). Our results show that honeysuckle and patchouli oils exhibited promising larvicidal and adulticidal activity of C. pipiens.