The aim of this work was to evaluate the acaricide and repellent effects of two different pyroligneous extract preparations (PE) applied directly on Brevipalpus phoenicis. This mite is the vector or citrus leprosies, which is one of the main problems of São Paulo State citrus culture. This experiment was carried out with mites derived of the colony-supply maintained in the laboratory of Acarology of the Unesp - São Paulo State University, at Jaboticabal. The experiment consisted of application of water (control) and two distinct way of preparations (distilled and decanted) of pyroligneous extract (PE) of eucalyptus in 6 volumetric ratios PE: water of 1:600, 1:300, 1:150, 1:75, 1:38 and 1:19, with 7 replications. Each plot with 10 mites maintained on an orange fruit, in enclosure of 2.5 cm diameter isolated by Tanglefoot® (The Tanglefoot Company: USA) adhesive barrier. After confection of the enclosures and mites transference, 2 mL of the solutions corresponding to the different treatments were applied per fruit, by using a Potter´s Tower. Then, the fruits were maintained in a room at 27±1ºC, and evaluations of the number of dead mites (mortality) and restrained in the adhesive barrier (repellence) were carried out 24 and 48 hours after treatment application. The distilled PE presented more mortality in comparison to decanted PE for concentrations higher than 1:150. None of two types of extract showed significant repellence effect on B. phoenicis. The protective action recognized for low doses (1:300 to 1:600, normally recommended), is not due to mortality or repellence by direct contact of these products with mites.
pyroligneous acid; leprosies mite; citrus
