In vitro acaricidal effect of Melia azedarach ripe fruit extract against Dermanyssus gallinae (Acari: Dermanyssidae)

The aim of this study was to evaluate acaricidal activity of Melia azedarach L. ripe fruit extract against Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778) under laboratory conditions. For this purpose, hexanic ripe fruit extract of this tree at concentrations 0.25, 0.5, 1, 3, 5 and 10% were prepared with acetone as solvent and treatment groups exposed to these concentrations using Petri dish residual film bioassay method. The positive control was carbaryl while negative control was acetone. The bioassay was repeated five times. The mortality rate of mites in treatment and control groups were assessed 24 h post exposure. All treatment groups showed significantly higher mortality compared to the negative control group (P < 0.05). All concentrations of extract showed moderate or high miticidal effects on D. gallinae as mean mortality of exposed mites to concentrations 0.25, 0.50, 1, 3, 5 and 10% were 40, 43, 60, 62, 79 and 100%, respectively. Carbaryl as a positive control caused 100% mite mortality at 1 mg/ml concentration. The LC50, 90, 99 (lethality concentrations for 50, 90 and 99%) values of this extract were calculated and were 1.78, 5.93 and 9.32%, respectively. The results of the current study revealed that the ripe fruit extract of M. azedarach was highly toxic to D. gallinae.