Effects of Volatiles of Essential Oils on Behavior of the Western Flower Thrips Frankliniella occidentalis Perg. (Thysanoptera, Thripidae)

Abstract

The results of evaluating the effects of essential oils on the behavior and reproduction potential of the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis Perg. are presented. Essential oils of Acorus calamus, Juniperus virginiana, and Melissa officinalis possessed a repellent effect on the larvae. A sample from Lutsea cubeba was characterized by an attractive property. Oil solutions of J. virginiana, Mentha spicata, Nepeta cataria, and Litsea cubeba repelled the thrips females off the leaves of the host plant. Reduced concentrations of oils from J. virginiana, M. officinalis, and M. spicata did not affect the distribution of thrips females between the experimental and control leaves, but the number of offspring was significantly lower on the treated leaves.