Efeito larvicida da própolis em Aedes aegypti Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae).

Abstract

Aedes aegypti Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae) is originaring from Africa, described in Egypt, which has been accompanying man in his permanent migration. It is a species that is distributed worldwide and its reproduction capacity in artificial containers, as frequent containers in urban houses for example, has facilitated its passive propagation in recent decades. It is a holometable insect, besides being a vector of serious ampldiseases. The use of chemicals resulted in great advances for the control of pests with agronomic, veterinary and public health importance. The extensive spectrum of action and the high residual power of these insecticides make them easy to use and increase their effectiveness. On the other hand, target species continuously exposed to conventional insecticides may develop resistance. Several studies have shown the action of propolis against various microorganisms, including viruses, bacteria and protozoa and their ability to repel or kill some insects and mites. Considering this peculiar characteristics of propolis, the general objective of this work is to verify the potential of the propolis extract against A. aegypti. The eggs of A. aegypti were obtained through ovitraps and sent to the laboratory where the development was monitored until larvae stage. Then, the larvae were submitted to hydroethanolic and tweenolic crude extracts of propolis at different concentrations. The larvicidal action was evaluated for 24h, with observation periods of 30min, 60min, 120min and 24h. The statistical analysis of the data were done by Tukey's test of multiple comparisons, considering a 5% significance level, and for the calculation of corrected mortality the formule Abbott was used. The diluent ethanol at a concentration of 5% was found to be suitable for use in the experiment. The hydroethanolic extract of crude propolis, added at a concentration of 5% in the bioassay solution, showed larvicidal action against populations of A. aegypti from the city of Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, under the experimental conditions of the study.