Ojianwuna C.C, Edafemakor A. G and Iloh A. C
Oils of Ocimum suave (Wild basil) were used under ambient conditions with the aim of evaluating the toxicity of the plant oil on adult housefly -Musca domestica. The oil was applied at 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 /L (v/v). A drop of sulphormic acid was added to form an emulsifiable concentration, and acute toxicity test was carried out for 6 hours. Mean mortality of housefly was recorded to obtain Median Lethal Concentration and Median Lethal Time (LC50 and LT50) respectively. All concentration caused significant mortality as concentration increased from 0.05 to 0.20. The LC50 was 0.09ml/50ml of water, and the LT50 was 4.40 hours. This result shows that Ocimum suave leaf oil could be used as an alternative to synthetic insecticides for the control of Musca domestica.
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