Potential of Five Local Plant as Protectant against Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus Degeer Infesting Dry Cat Fish; Clarias gariepinus Burchell

Efficacy of varying amounts of five selected local plant namely : Balanite aegyptiaca, Eugenia aromatica, Piper guineense, Ocimum gratisimum, and Ziziphus mauratania against the mortality, oviposition, progeny emergence and weight loss of dried fish due to infestation by Dermestes maculatus was studied under ambient conditions. The plant were pulverised into powders and applied as 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 g per 50 g of dried fish. Three pairs of newly emerged adults by were inoculated into each of the treated fish in a beaker, arranged in a Complete Randomized Design in the laboratory. The result showed all the plant powders tested evoked significant mortalities of adults at the highest concentration (6) after 3 and 7 days of post-treatment when compared with untreated control. The rate of oviposition was drastically suppressed by all plant powders, especially at higher concentration. The number of adults emerged were significantly lower than control at (p>0.05). Similarly, all the plant's powders significantly prevented weight loss at highest concentration after 12 weeks of post-treatment periods. These results have shown that tested plants demonstrated potential ability against adults hide beetle infesting dried fish.