Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Evaluation of Vetiver Oil and Seven Insect-Active Essential Oils Against the Formosan Subterranean Termite

  • Published:
Journal of Chemical Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Repellency and toxicity of 8 essential oils (vetiver grass, cassia leaf, clove bud, cedarwood, Eucalyptus globules, Eucalyptus citrodora, lemongrass and geranium) were evaluated against the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Vetiver oil proved the most effective repellent because of its long-lasting activity. Clove bud was the most toxic, killing 100% of termites in 2 days at 50 μg/cm2. The tunneling response of termites to vetiver oil also was examined. Vetiver oil decreased termite tunneling activity at concentrations as low as 5 μg/g sand. Tunneling and paper consumption were not observed when vetiver oil concentrations were higher than 25 μg/g sand. Bioactivity of the 8 oils against termites and chemical volatility were inversely associated. Listed in decreasing order of volatility, the major constituents of the 8 oils were: eucalyptol, citronellal, citral, citronellol, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, thujopsene, and both α- and β- vetivone. Vetiver oil is a promising novel termiticide with reduced environmental impact for use against subterranean termites.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • ANONYMOUS. 1998. SAS user's guide: Statistics. SAS Institute, Cary, NC.

  • ADAMS, R. P. 1991. Cedar wood oil-analysis and properties. Mod. Meth. of Plant Anal. 12:159–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • AHMAD, F. B. H., MACKEEN, M. M., ALI, A. M., MASHIRUN, S. R., and YAACOB, M. M. 1995. Repellency of essential oils against the domiciliary cockroach, Periplaneta americana. Insect Sci. Applic. 16:391–393.

    Google Scholar 

  • BULTMAN, J. D., BEAL, R. H., and AMPONG, F. F. K. 1979. Natural resistance of some tropical African woods to Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. For. Prod. J. 29:46–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • CARTER, F. L., GARLO, A. M., and STANELY, J. B. 1978. Termiticidal components of wood extracts: 7-methyljuglone from Diospyros virginiana. J. Agri. Food Chem. 26:869–873.

    Google Scholar 

  • CORNELIUS, M., GRACE, J. K., and YATES III, J. R. 1997. Toxicity of monoterpenoids and other natural products to the Formosan subterranean termite. J. Econ. Entomol. 90:320–325.

    Google Scholar 

  • ERDTMAN, H., and HIROSE, Y. 1962. The chemistry of the natural order Cupressales: 46. The structure of nootkatone. Acta Chem. Scand. 16:1311–1314.

    Google Scholar 

  • FRANZIOS, G., MIROTSON, M., HATZIAPOSTOLOU, E., KRAL, J., SCOURAS, Z. G., and MAVRAGANITSIPIDOU, P. 1997. Insecticidal and genotoxic activities of mint essential oils. J. Agric Food Chem. 45:2690–2694.

    Google Scholar 

  • GRACE, J. K., AND YAMAMOTO, R. T. 1994. Natural resistance of Alaska-Cedar, redwood, and teak to Formosan subterranean termites. Forest Prod. J. 44:41–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • IKEDA, T., TAKAHASHI, M., NISHIMOTO, K. 1978. Antitermitic components of Kaya wood, Torreya nucifera Sieb. Et Zucc. Mokuzai Gakkaishi. 24:262–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • JAIN, S. C., NOWICKI, S., EISNER, T., and MEINNALD, J. 1982. Insect repellents from vetiver oil: 1. Zizanal and epizizanal. Tetra. Let. 23:4639–4642.

    Google Scholar 

  • LEWIS, D. L., MICHAELS, G. E., HAYS, D. B., CAMPBELL, W., and SMITH, V. 1978. Evaluation of the antitermitic activity of hydroxyquinoline and naphthol derivative formulations using Reticulitermes in laboratory and field experiments. J. Econ. Entomol. 71:818–821.

    Google Scholar 

  • LIN, T.-S., and YIN, H.-W. 1995a. Effects of Litsea cubeba pres oils on the control of termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Taiwan For. Res. Inst. New Series 10:59–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • LIN, T.-S., and YIN, H.-W. 1995b. The effects of Cinnamomum spp. oils on the control of the termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Taiwan For. Res. Inst. New Series 10:459–464.

    Google Scholar 

  • LWANDE, W., NDAKALA, A. L., HASSANALI, L., MOREKA, E., NDUNGU, M., AMIANI, H., GIYU, P. M., MALONZA, M. M., and PUNYUA, D. K. 1999. Gynandropsis gynadra essential oil and its constituents as tick (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus) repellents. Phytochemistry 50:401–405.

    Google Scholar 

  • NAGNAN, P., and CLEMENT, J. L. 1990. Terpenes from the maritime pine Pinus pinaster: toxins for subterranean termites of the genus Reticulitermes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 18:13–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • NGOH, S. P., CHOO, L. E., PANG, F. Y., HUANG, Y., KINI, M. R., and HO, S. H. 1998. Insecticidal and repellent properties of nine volatile constituents of essential oils against the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (L.). Pestic Sci. 54:261–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • PERRUCCI, S. 1995. Acaricidal activity of some essential oils and their constituents against Tyrophagus longior, a mite of stored food. J. Food Prod. 58:560–563.

    Google Scholar 

  • SAEKI, I., SUMIMOTO, M., and KONDO, T. 1973. The termiticidal substances from the wood Chamaecyparis pisifera D. Don. Holzforschung. 27:93–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • SCHEFFRAHN, R. H., HSU, K. C., SU, N. Y., HUFFMAN, J. B., MIDLAND, S. L., and SIMS, J. J. 1988. Allelochemical resistance of bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, heartwood to the subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus. J. Chem. Ecol. 14:765–776.

    Google Scholar 

  • SHAAYA, E., RAVID, U., PASTER, N., JUVEN, B., ZISMAN, U., and PISSAREV, V. 1991. Fumigant toxicity of essential oils against four major stored-product insects. J. Chem. Ecol. 17:499–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • SHARMA, R. N., TUNGIKAR, V. B., PAWAR, P. V., and VARTAK, P. H. 1994. Vapour toxicity and repellency of some oils and terpenoids to the termite, Odontotermes brunneus. Insect Sci. Applic. 15:495–498.

    Google Scholar 

  • SINGH, D., and SINGH,-A. K. 1991. Repellent and insecticidal properties of essential oils against housefly, Musca domestica L. Insect. Sci. Applic. 12:487–491.

    Google Scholar 

  • ST. PFAU, A., and PLATTNER, P. 1939. Etudes sur les matieres vegetales volatiles X. Sur les vetivones, constituents odorants des essences de vetiver. Helv. Chim. Acta 22:640

    Google Scholar 

  • WATANABE, A. K., SHONO, Y., KAKIMIZU, A., MATSUO, N., SATON, A., and NISHIMURA, H. 1993. New mosquito repellent from Eucalyptus camaldulensis. J. Agric. Food Chem. 41:2164–2166.

    Google Scholar 

  • ZHU, B. C. R., HENDERSON, G., CHEN, F., MAISTRELLO, L., and LAINE, R. A. (2001). Nootkatone is a repellent for Formosan subterranean termite (Coptotermes formosanus). J. Chem. Ecol. 27:523–531.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Louisiana Agricultural Experimental Station, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803

    Betty C. R. Zhu & Roger A. Laine

  2. Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Louisiana Agricultural Experimental Station, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803

    Gregg Henderson, Feng Chen & Huixin Fei

Authors
  1. Betty C. R. Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gregg Henderson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Feng Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Huixin Fei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Roger A. Laine
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhu, B.C.R., Henderson, G., Chen, F. et al. Evaluation of Vetiver Oil and Seven Insect-Active Essential Oils Against the Formosan Subterranean Termite. J Chem Ecol 27, 1617–1625 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010410325174

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010410325174

Search

Navigation