Alternatives for insect control derived from plant extracts are growing in popularity due to recent bans on conventional insecticides. The Piperaceae family offers several candidates, black pepper Piper nigrum, being the most widely recognized. Efficacy trials with an EC formulation of P. nigrum compared the concentrations required to knockdown several common insect pests of the home and garden. Effective concentrations (EC50s) ranged from 0.01% for Tent caterpillars and Pine sawflies, to 0.1% for Lily beetles and Colorado potato beetles. The main active ingredient, piperine, is an isobutyl amide, which functions as a repellent due to the hot taste at high concentrations but once absorbed will target the nervous system. The most promising property of these extracts is the relatively short half life in the environment, coupled with the novel mode of action and possible analogue synergism present in the mixtures.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Lasiocampidae Malacosoma americanum (eastern tent caterpillar)
Species 2: Hymenoptera Neodiprion sertifer (European pine sawfly)
Species 3: Coleoptera Lilioceris lili (lily leaf beetle)
Keywords: botanical insecticide, Piperaceae
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