Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) needles and their essential oil kill overwintering ticks (Ixodes scapularis) at cold temperatures.

ABSTRACT: The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, vectors Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterium that causes Lyme Disease. Although synthetic pesticides can reduce tick numbers, there are concerns about their potential effects on beneficial insects, such as pollinators. Plant-based pest control agents such as essential oils could provide an alternative because they have low environmental persistency; however, these products struggle to provide effective control. We found a new natural acaricide, balsam fir (Abies balsamea) needles, that kill overwintering I. scapularis ticks. We extracted the essential oil from the needles, analyzed its chemical composition, and tested it for acaricidal activity. We placed ticks in tubes with substrate and positioned the tubes either in the field or in incubators simula

SUBMITTER: Adamo SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9338056 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature