Effect of essential oil from zanthoxylum bungeanum maxim on drugstore beetle stegobium paniceum (L.) (Coleoptera, Anobiidae)

Control of the widely distributed drugstore beetle, stegobium paniceum (L.), is not successful due to serious drawbacks of using insecticides. We investigated the fumigant and contact effects of essential oil distilled from Zanthoxylum bungeanum on the adults and larvae of drugstore beetle S. paniceum. We found the adults were more vulnerable to fumigant treatment by oil vapors than the larvae, but the larvae were more susceptible than adults to contact treatment with oil solution. Not only did the essential oil prolong the development time of larvae, but also prevented the adults from successfully laying eggs. These results indicate the essential oils from Z. bungeanum may help to control the expansion of drugstore beetle populations. Therefore, this oil may be exploited for insect control in stored products.