Insecticidal properties of materials used by resource-limited farmers to control fleas in free-range chickens in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Abstract

Fleas are obligate blood feeders that infest free-range chickens, thereby impeding their productivity. Commercial insecticides used in controlling fleas are expensive and inaccessible, hence making farmers to resort to low cost and easily available alternatives. The study was conducted to assess the insecticidal properties of ethno-veterinary medicine used in controlling fleas in free-range chickens in the Eastern Cape. In vitro repellency and contact bio-assay models were used to assess the insecticidal properties of Tagetes minuta, Calpurnia aurea, Clutia pulchella, used engine oil, paraffin, Jeyes fluid (carbolic acid 13%) on fleas. Distilled water was used as the negative control. Positive controls for the repellency and contact bio-assays, were Tabard (35% diethyltoluamide) and Karbadust (carbaryl 5%) respectively. Tagetes minuta was the most effective (P<0.05), demonstrating a repellency level of 75 at 100% concentration. Clutia pulchella, C. aurea, used engine oil and paraffin showed insignificant repellency (P>0.05). The repellency of T. minuta, Jeyes fluid and Tabard lasted for 4, 5 and 5 h, respectively. For the contact bio-assay, 100% concentrations of C. pulchella and C. aurea produced flea mortality of 82.5 and 75%. Paraffin, used engine oil, and Jeyes fluid (19.2%) caused flea mortality, which was not significantly different from Karbadust. The materials assessed showed various degrees of insecticidal properties. This justifies their use by resource-limited farmers in South Africa.

Keywords: Fleas, medicinal plants, mortality, repellency

African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(14), pp. 1682-1688