Neem oil water dispersible tablet as effective larvicide, ovicide and oviposition deterrent against Anopheles culicifacies

User- and eco-friendly approaches to manage immature stages of mosquitoes are urgently needed in order to minimize the undesirable impact of synthetic pesticides on nature and mankind. Plant-derived pesticides are considered as user- and environmental friendly. In this study, attempts have been made to develop water dispersible tablet (WT), containing neem (Azadirachta indica) oil as a mosquitocide. The tablet dispersion with concentration of 40 mg/L exhibited 98% mortality against third instars larvae of Anopheles culicifacies followed by residual effect upto sixth week. Ovicidal effect on freshly laid eggs were observed. Oviposition deterrent activity of tablet suspension was also assessed, which showed reduction in egg laying of gravid female by 89%. The tablet suspension was found to be non-toxic to the non-target fish, Poecilia reticulate.