Toxicity of D-Limonene, The Major Component of Citrus Peel Oil, To All Life Stages of the Cat Flea, Ctenocephalides Felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)

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Abstract
D-limonene was toxic to all life stages of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis. In contact exposure tests, eggs were most sensitive, followed by adults and then larvae; pupae were least affected. D-limonene vapors were also toxic to all stages; vapors are the principal route by which the compound enters the flea's body. Adults were rapidly immobilized when treated with D-limonene, and symptoms of poisoning suggest that this monoterpene acts on the nervous system. D-limonene was synergized by piperonyl butoxide; when combined, these compounds produced a synergistic ratio of 3.2 and more rapid mortality of adult fleas.