Mani Saranya, Ramanathapuram Sundaram Mohanraj and Balasubramaniam Dhanakkodi
With the development of resistance to conventionally used synthetic insecticides, vector management has become very difficult. Hence, scientists have interest on botanicals. It is in this regard, present study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of aqueous extract of Spathodea campanulata leaves against the dengue vector Aedes aegypti. EI50 and EI90 were shown at 0.79% and 0.88% of the leaf extract respectively. The aqueous leaf extract at 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3% tested against the Ae. aegypti was found to prolong larval and pupal period. In the control it took 10 days for all the larvae to become pupae, whereas the aqueous extract at 0.1% and 0.2% took 19 days and 24 days respectively. In 0.3% the larvae required 26 days to become pupae. The data highlights the importance of Spathodea campanulata as a promising local plant with mosquitocidial activities.
