Abstract

The essential oils have been widely used as antiparasitical, bactericidal, fungicidal, antivirus and insecticidal. On the other hand the main method to control insect pest is using synthetic pesticides, but the development of insect resistance to this products, the high operational cost and environmental pollution have created the need for developing alternative approaches to control many insects pest, and in this sense the essential oils are an alternative to control many insects. This work is a review for the last five years, which shows the main essential oils from 30 botanical families with activity against coleopterans insect pest in stored grains. It was found that 22 species belong to the family Lamiaceae 17 of Asteraceae and 10 of Myrtaceae

Key words: Insecticidal, fumigant, repellent, antifeedant, activity, alternative.