Larvicidal Activity of Sweet Wormwood (Artemisia annua L.) Extracts on Aedes aegypti (Tiger Mosquito)

<p>The control of mosquito using synthetic insecticides has some negative impacts such as environmental pollution and problem<br>of resistance. Thus this work was aimed at evaluating the larvicidal activity of sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua L.) against<br>Aedes aegypti mosquito. Hydrothermal extraction method was used to obtain leave extracts using 200 ml of ethanol, methanol<br>and distilled water, respectively. Larvicidal bioassay was carried out using twenty five fourth instar larvae at 0.1 ml, 0.2 ml and 0.3<br>ml concentrations for each solvent extract. Set of control experiments using only the solvents were also set up. Mortalities were<br>recorded from the first 15 minutes to 24 hours of exposure. The ethanol and methanol extracts of A. annua show a significant<br>difference (P<0.05) in the mortality rates of Ae. aegypti larvae. However, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in the<br>mortality rates of Ae. aegypti larvae in relation to water extract of A. annua. The larvicidal activity of ethanol, methanol and water<br>extracts of A. annua gave LC50 values of 0.131 ml, 0.602 ml and 0.25 ml, respectively. The result of this study reveals that ethanol<br>extract of A. annua is considered the best in terms of LC50 compared to methanol and water in causing mortality of the larvae.<br>Thus, it has great potential as a bio pesticides against Ae. aegypti.</p>