Pulicidal activity of essential oils of Cedrela fissilis, Mentha pulegium, Mentha arvensis and Eucalyptus globulus in Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché, 1835)
flea, control, plants, eucalyptus, mint, cedar
The Ctenocephalides felis felis flea is the ectoparasite of small animals of major importance in veterinary medicine and the control of adult fleas in infested animals represents part of the program necessary to effectively eliminate the population of ectoparasites. Herbal medicines are rich in substances that should be used in the development of safe methods applied to insect control. The present work has the objective of evaluating the activity of extracts of essential oils of Cedrela fissilis, Mentha pulegium, Mentha arvensis and Eucalyptus globulus, and of possible derivatives, against Ctenocephalides felis felis. Different concentrations of mother solutions of these oils, impregnated on filter paper and tested for flea mortality after 24 hours and 48 hours, were used. Cedrela fissilis oil showed a linear response with increased concentration, reaching 100% mortality at the concentration of 40000 μg/mL in the time of 48 hours, representing an auxiliary tool for flea control. The other extracts did not present any relevant activity on C. felis felis.