Synthesis of Insecticides from Selected Plant Materials

The quest on sustainable development has called for eco-friendly anthropogenic activities. Consequently, this research work looked into the synthesis of biodegradable fumigants from plant materials. With simple technologies, formulations with insecticidal properties were produced from Neem seeds, Garlic bulbs, Orange peels and Penny royal leaves. The formulations were prepared with the following combinations; Neem oil + Garlic extract (‘A’), Neem oil + Orange oil (‘B’), Neem oil + Penny royal (‘C’), Neem oil + Garlic extract + Orange oil + Penny royal (‘D’) and Garlic extract + Orange oil + Penny royal (‘E’). Mosquitoes (Culex spp. and Anopheles spp.), houseflies (Musca domestica) and black ants (Lasius niger) were used as test specimens for the formulations prepared. Formulation ‘A’ yielded the best insecticidal property killing mosquitoes in an average time of 1.78 ± 0.45 seconds, houseflies in 5.18 ± 0.43 seconds and black ants in 23.52 ± 0.54 seconds. The rest of the formulations produced varying results. A non-uniform performance pattern was realized when further studies were conducted on the effects of dose and distance on the potency of the formulations. A comparative study between formulation ‘A’ and a chemical insecticide revealed that, formulation ‘A’ was more potent that the chemical insecticide in killing test specimens.