Larvicidal and pupicidal activities of essential oils from Zingiberaceae plants against Aedes aegypti (Linn.) and Culex quinquefasciatus say mosquitoes.

We conducted this study to investigate the efficacy of herbal essential oils from 12 species of Zingiberaceae plants to determine their larvicidal and pupicidal activity against fourth instar larvae and pupae of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. Probit analysis was used to analyze the data. Larval mortality was recorded at 1, 5, 10, 15, 30 and 60 minutes and 24 hours. Pupal mortality was recorded at 15 and 30 minutes and 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours. All the essential oils tested showed larvicidal activity. Zingiber cassumunar and Amomum biflorum oils proved to have the greatest activity against Ae. aegypti larvae with LT50 of 1.4 minutes and 100% mortality at 5 and 10 minutes, respectively. Boesenbergia rotunda, Curcuma zedoaria and Hedychium coronarium essential oils had activity against Cx. quinquefasciatus larvae with LT50 of 1.7 minutes and 100% mortality at 10 minutes, 5 minutes and 15 minutes, respectively. All the herbal essential oils tested resulted in 100% mortality against Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus larvae at 60 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively. Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus pupae were susceptible to Z. ottensii oil (LT50 of 0.2 hour) and Z. zerumbet oil (LT50 of 0.6 hour) and had pupicidal activity with 100% mortality at 6 and 3 hours, respectively. All the essential oils test had pupicidal activity against Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus by inducing 100% mortality at 48 hours.