Laboratory evaluation of Moringa oleifera and Jatropha curcas extracts on adult housefly (Musca domestica L.)

Abstract

Synthetic insecticides are frequently used to manage disease vectors like houseflies, however, these chemicals are hazardous to human and animal health and not affordable to most people in rural areas. As a result, the demand for a substitute is pressing. The effectiveness of crude extracts of Moringa oleifera and Jatropha curcas as insecticides to control adult houseflies was examined in this study. This research was carried out at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Department of Crop and Environmental Protection Insectary, Nigeria. M. oleifera and J. curcas leaves were used to formulate the crude extracts while cypermethrin and water were used as positive and negative controls respectively. These plants had significant insecticidal control of adult houseflies. When applied through feeding, the studied crude insecticides did not exhibit the same level of efficacy as cypermethrin following a 24-hour exposure. Feeding toxicity experiments showed that the application of 10 g/ml of M. oleifera leaf had greater insecticidal activity than other application rates. The insect sprays, 1 g/ml and 5 g/ml of extract from M. oleifera leaves and 5 g/ml and 10 g/ml of J. curcas leaves, efficiently competed with cypermethrin after 24 hours of application. Throughout the experimental trials, the efficacy of each observed concentrations —1 g/ml, 5 g/ml, and 10 g/ml—remained constant. Additionally, it was shown that applying the tested plant extracts by contact killed more quickly than other ways of application. In conclusion, controlling houseflies can be achieved through the use of crude plant extracts.