Abstract

Abdullah Z. Alshehry, Ahmed A. Zaitoun and Refaat A. Abo-Hassan

The present study was carried out to determine the toxicity of four local plants extracts Rhazya stricta Decne, Lantana camara L., Ruta chalepensis L. and Heliotropium bacciferum Forssk. against subterranean termites Psammotermes hybostoma (Desneux). All extracts demonstrated remarkable toxicities due to hexane extracts. Of the four extracts, the hexane extract from R., stricta has shown a relatively more pronounced toxic effect , having an acute (24 hr) and chronic (48hr) LC50s of 194.8 and 147.4 ppm comparing to 221.7 and 149.9; 288.9, 185.6 ; and 391.3 and 244.5 ppm for L. camara, R. chalepenesis and H. bacciferum, respectively. Toxic effect was found to be both dose and exposure-time. No significant differences were observed between Rh. stricta , L. camara and positive control (Fipronil (Agenda® 2.5 EC). These safe materials could have promising practical application in protection against attacks by subterranean termites Psammotermes hybostoma.