Repellency and attractancy of plant extracts against Plodia interpunctella and Sitophilus zeamais

Plodia interpunctella and Sitophilus zeamais are among the most destructive insect pests of stored processed food products. The use of natural materials rather than conventional pesticides to control these pests is a promising alternative to conventional neurotoxic insecticides. In this study, we tested organic extracts from 13 species of plants; most showed different effects on S. zeamais and P. interpunctella. Eleven of the extracts had repellent effects on S. zeamais but either an attractant effect or no effect on P. interpunctella. These results suggested that different species of insects have different reactions to plant extracts, and such extracts may have applications as storage products to prevent infestation by both P. interpunctella and S. zeamais.