Many essential oils and powders of aromatic plants with insecticidal properties are more and more considered as alternative insecticides to protect stored products against pests. One of these pests is Ephestia cautella Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) which is a major pest of stored nuts. The larvae of this insect infesting shea kernels cause considerable damage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of neem kernel powder (Azadirachta indica) and Eucalyptus camaldulensis essential oil in controlling E. cautella populations in shea kernel stocks. The tests carried out in the Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Entomology of Joseph KI-ZERBO University under ambient conditions. The study involved applying varying doses of neem kernel powder and E. camaldulensis essential oil to E. cautella adults, larvae and eggs. Each dose was applied in the presence of 10 pairs of insects in contact with healthy shea kernels. Doses of 2g to 15 g neem kernel powder caused high mortality rates (77.5% to 95%) in larvae by inhibiting their development. However, these doses proved ineffective in controlling adults.
E. camaldulensis essential oil caused 100% mortality of adults with a dose equal to 15 µl/l for 24 h. By direct contact, this oil caused 100% mortality of larvae at doses of 3µl. It has no significant influence on embryonic development. The difference in toxicity observed between the different stages of the insect suggests a control strategy based on combining both bio-pesticides to optimize their effectiveness in protecting shea kernel stocks.

Biological Control, Essential Oils, Azadirachta indica, Eucalyptus camaldulensis