Actividad insecticida de los aceites esenciales de Piper aduncum subsp. ossanum y Ocimun basilicum sobre Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus y Culex quinquefasciatus

The mosquitoes are one of the most important medical groups because of their preponderant role in the transmission of diseases to man and animals. The relentless search for new forms of control is of vital importance for integrated pest programs. The plants, due to their background in the fight against insects, constitute a viable alternative to study.The objective that this work was proposed was evaluate the biopesticidal activity of the essential oils of, Piper aduncum subsp. ossanum, and Ocimum basilicum against Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762), Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse, 1894) y Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus Say, 1823. The larvicidal and, adulticidal, activity was evaluated following standardized methodologies. All oils evaluated showed significant larvicidal activity in the mosquito populations studied. The mean lethal concentrations calculated were less than 100 mg/L. The evaluated oils showed adulticidal activity using bottles and impregnated papers, the concentrations that favoured 100 % knock-down of the individuals exposed at 30 minutes, ranged between 10 and 60 mg/mL. The results obtained with both essential oils against these three species of mosquitoes are the first reports in the region of the Americas including The Caribbean. These results showed that the evaluated essential oils can be considered promising candidates for the control of mosquitoes of medical importance.