The aim of the study was to check the effect of Carum carvi L. essential oil and L-carvone on the emigration, repellence and mortality of Sitophilus oryzae L. In the experiments with caraway essential oil, concentrations of 0.1%, 0.5% and 1% were used, and concentrations of 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 and 1% were used with L-carvone. We assessed whether, in what concentrations and after what exposure time the substances acted on S. oryzae as repellents and/or insecticides. The laboratory tests were carried out at 29 ± 1 °C with 60 ± 5% relative humidity (RH). The deterrence, mortality and abundance of insects were noted after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 24 and 48 h. For caraway essential oil and L-carvone, the highest repellency was not shown in the highest concentrations that were used in the tests but in the lower concentrations of 0.5% and 0.1%, respectively. In all used concentrations, caraway essential oil showed repellent effects on S. oryzae. The highest repellency (60–98%) was caused by 0.5% caraway essential oil after 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 h of research and by 0.1% L-carvone (16–100%). The highest mortality of S. oryzae was caused by 0.5% caraway essential oil and 1% L-carvone. L-carvone at a concentration of 0.05% did not cause mortality in S. oryzae. In conclusion, the greatest repellent effects on S. oryzae were caused by lower doses of caraway essential oil and L-carvone. These compounds do not show the normal relationship described in the previous literature on warehouse pests, in which the repellency increased with increasing concentrations of the tested plant material.

Introduction and objective: Progressive climate change plays a major role in the expansion of tick populations, as well as the transmission of tick-borne disease pathogens (TBPs) to humans and animals throughout the world. Zoonoses are a growing environmental problem of great importance for...

The mountainous and foothill areas, in which the city of Zakopane, the capital of Tatra County, is located are characterized by continuous weather changes, lower air temperature, persistent snow cover, and poorer vegetation than in the lowlands. Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes hexagonus are vectors of tick-borne diseases and play an important role in the persistence of tick-borne diseases. The aim of the study was to determine the risk of exposure of domestic cats and dogs to the attacks of Ixodid ticks, to tick-borne infections with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti and Toxoplasma gondii in the city of Zakopane and the surrounding area. In 2017–2018 ticks were collected from a total of 10 domestic cats and 88 domestic dogs. Selected pathogens of tick-borne diseases were detected by PCR and nested PCR. The study material contained 119 I. ricinus and 36 I. hexagonus. The molecular examinations showed the presence of A. phagocytophilum in 3.8%, B. microti in 24.5% and T. gondii in 4.5% of the all ticks. In addition, in the study area, there is a high potential risk of tick-borne infection by B. microti, and a low potential risk of exposure to A. phagocytophilum and T. gondii infection.

Introduction and objective: The study compares the effect of two concentrations (0.1% and 1%) of plant material on repelling two dangerous stored pests – Rhyzopertha dominica F. and Sitophilus granarius L. Both species were treated with the essential oils of Foeniculum vulgare Mill.,...

Studies on agricultural crop damage inflicted by wild boar (Sus scrofa) were conducted in hunting districts located in Lower Silesia, south-western Poland. The statistical analysis of damaged agricultural crops was based on documentation obtained via survey from hunting associations managing 81 hunting districts. For each hunting district (mean area 43.1 km²), this documentation detailed the area of damaged crops (maize, various cereals, root crops, rapeseed, grasslands, and other crops), the date of the damage, and the value of compensation paid to farmers. During three consecutive hunting seasons (2013/14–2015/16) the area of damaged farmlands was amounted to 2098.2 hectares. Maize constitutes 43.9% of the total damage area, while for various cereal crops and grasslands, the figures were 29.5% and 13.2%, respectively. The mean damage compensation per hectare amounted to €421.0, the highest being for root crops (€942.8/ha) and the lowest for grasslands (€214.8/ha). A positive correlation was shown between the wild boar harvest rate and the percentage of farmland area damaged by these animals. Between the 2015/16 and 2022/23 hunting seasons, a decline in the density of harvested wild boar from 1.99 to 1.05 individuals reduced the area of damage from 0.335 ha/km² to 0.164 ha/km² of farmland. Population density control has been suggested as the most effective method of protecting agricultural crops against wild boar.