Abstract
The house fly, Musca domestica, is not only a cosmopolitan but also a medically important insect acting as vector of some diseases. Entomopathogenic fungi, particularly Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, and botanical oils have shown potential as synthetic insecticides alternative for house fly control. In the present work, local isolates from both fungi as well as their mixtures with essential oils were evaluated against house fly larvae under laboratory conditions. Batches of house fly larvae (25 individuals per replicate and 4 replicates per dose of fungi) were subjected to five doses from each fungus (10(1), 10(3), 10(5), 10(7) and 10(9) conidia/ml) in plastic cups for one min then transferred to a clean one. Both test and control cups were incubated for 7 days to determine LC (50, 90) and EI (50, 90). Joint action of these fungi with three botanical oils (celery, ginger and sesame) as well as influence of sublethal dose from both fungi on the larval development were also evaluated. B. bassiana was more potent than M. anisopliae in both larvicidal activity and inhibition of flies' emergence. Blends from fungi and essential oils exhibited synergistic effect but fungi mixture produced antagonistic effect. The development of M. domestica larvae was affected by sublethal dose from fungi. In conclusion, M. anisopliae is more efficient than B. bassiana and could be easily mixed with essential oils to either enhance larvicidal activity or utilize in integrated pest management. Furthermore, research on field evaluation and deleterious effects of environmental conditions on fungi capacity is required.