Botanical insecticides: Assessment of Vitex negundo and Acorus calamus acetone leaf extracts against Aedes aegypti larvae and pupae (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Aedes aegypti, the primary vector for diseases such as dengue fever, Zika virus and chikungunya, poses a significant threat to public health globally. The increasing resistance of mosquitoes to conventional insecticides has led to a search for alternative larvicidal and pupicidal agents derived from natural sources. This study aimed to evaluate the larvicidal and pupicidal potential of acetone leaf extracts from Vitex negundo and Acorus calamus against Aedes aegypti. The larvicidal and pupicidal activities of the extracts were assessed through bioassays following WHO guidelines. Various concentrations of the extracts were tested against different life stages of Aedes aegypti to determine their efficacy. The acetone leaf extracts from both Vitex negundo and Acorus calamus exhibited significant larvicidal and pupicidal activities against Aedes aegypti. The mortality rates of larvae and pupae increased with higher concentrations of the extracts. The results indicated that these plant extracts have the potential to be used as alternative larvicidal and pupicidal agents against Aedes aegypti. The findings of this study suggest that acetone leaf extracts from Vitex negundo and Acorus calamus have promising larvicidal and pupicidal properties against Aedes aegypti. Further research is warranted to elucidate the active compounds responsible for the observed insecticidal properties.